Identity In David Hume's Definition Of Personal Identity
Many people; especially philosophers find themselves contradicting with the subject matter known as ‘SELF’. What is the actually and truthful definition of the word itself and does it change or not? If it does change, then who can truly experience and notice it? Among many philosophers, Hume confidently states that personal identity depends on three relations of such as resemblance, contiguity and causation.
He agrees that identity is a bundle of memories or perceptions; meaning that they all interconnect; or that these perceptions “succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement” (2). It is hard to maintain and to say that one is exactly in that personality forever because he is always changing …show more content…
Many people may argue that they know themselves very well and they do not need a ‘stranger’ to tell them who they truly are, what they are manifesting etc. However, Hume refutes this aspect. Can one truly “[distinguish] and [separate their feelings, actions or what so ever] from each other [or even consider to do the separations needed to identify their personality] and have no Deed of tiny thing to support their existence?” (Hume, 1). All that he wants to raise awareness to that: ‘is possible to exist separately from your actual oneself?’ Can someone step outside of their body or self and observe everything about their personality and all, then make their own judgement and walk back in the body; speaking of death or some out of body experience? According to Hume, “if we wou'd have the idea of self-pass for clear and intelligible, It must be someone impression, that gives rise to every real idea. But self or person is not any one impression, but that to which our several impressions and ideas are suppos'd to have a reference.” (1) If that was the case, many people who have remorse of some sort would have been able to stop themselves from committing their faults and make the necessary changes; especially when the outcome known is not favorable. It is just that “the mind is a ‘kind of theatre’ where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away, and mingle in an infinite variety of postures …show more content…
Instead, it is because that is the best way for us to remember or relate. For example, “a man, who bears a noise, that is frequently interrupted and renew'd, says, it is still the same noise; tho' 'tis evident the sounds have only a specific identity or resemblance, and there is nothing numerically the same, but the cause, which produc'd them” (Hume, 5-6). Hume goes even further to explain this situation by stating that even though we have several distinct ideas of many objects but we “[connect them] together by a close relation; and this … view affords as perfect a notion of diversity, as if there was no manner of relation among the objects. [And that] tho' these ... [identities], and… succession of related objects be in themselves perfectly distinct… [Or different], yet… [In] our common way of thinking they are generally confounded with each other” (3). Furthermore, “[no matter what] precaution we may use in introducing the changes gradually... There is … another artifice, by which we may induce the imagination to advance a step farther” (Hume, 5). Therefore, it is clearly visible that personal identity is not non-existent neither existent. It just goes through a process of change and evolution or repeat itself over and over again from time to
He agrees that identity is a bundle of memories or perceptions; meaning that they all interconnect; or that these perceptions “succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement” (2). It is hard to maintain and to say that one is exactly in that personality forever because he is always changing …show more content…
Many people may argue that they know themselves very well and they do not need a ‘stranger’ to tell them who they truly are, what they are manifesting etc. However, Hume refutes this aspect. Can one truly “[distinguish] and [separate their feelings, actions or what so ever] from each other [or even consider to do the separations needed to identify their personality] and have no Deed of tiny thing to support their existence?” (Hume, 1). All that he wants to raise awareness to that: ‘is possible to exist separately from your actual oneself?’ Can someone step outside of their body or self and observe everything about their personality and all, then make their own judgement and walk back in the body; speaking of death or some out of body experience? According to Hume, “if we wou'd have the idea of self-pass for clear and intelligible, It must be someone impression, that gives rise to every real idea. But self or person is not any one impression, but that to which our several impressions and ideas are suppos'd to have a reference.” (1) If that was the case, many people who have remorse of some sort would have been able to stop themselves from committing their faults and make the necessary changes; especially when the outcome known is not favorable. It is just that “the mind is a ‘kind of theatre’ where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away, and mingle in an infinite variety of postures …show more content…
Instead, it is because that is the best way for us to remember or relate. For example, “a man, who bears a noise, that is frequently interrupted and renew'd, says, it is still the same noise; tho' 'tis evident the sounds have only a specific identity or resemblance, and there is nothing numerically the same, but the cause, which produc'd them” (Hume, 5-6). Hume goes even further to explain this situation by stating that even though we have several distinct ideas of many objects but we “[connect them] together by a close relation; and this … view affords as perfect a notion of diversity, as if there was no manner of relation among the objects. [And that] tho' these ... [identities], and… succession of related objects be in themselves perfectly distinct… [Or different], yet… [In] our common way of thinking they are generally confounded with each other” (3). Furthermore, “[no matter what] precaution we may use in introducing the changes gradually... There is … another artifice, by which we may induce the imagination to advance a step farther” (Hume, 5). Therefore, it is clearly visible that personal identity is not non-existent neither existent. It just goes through a process of change and evolution or repeat itself over and over again from time to