CameronHowlett

5/4/15
PHIL1000
Drexler
PersonalIdentityandMemory
Yourexperiencesmakeyouwhoyouare.Thenaturevs.nurtureargumenthasbeena
majorthemeinpsychologysinceitsconception,andtheyalwaysendinadeadlock,onenomore
importantthantheotheroratleasteachimportantinitsownway.Sothatmeansthatour
memoriesmakewhatwewerebornasintowhatwearenow,right?NowIamsurethisseems
likeIamadvocatingforthememorytheorybutIassureyouthatIamnot.
NotonlyhasPsychologicalscienceshownthatmemoriescanbecreatedfromnothing,
rememberedincorrectly,andbetotallyforgotten,ithasshownthatwereallydonotevenhave
memoryofourpast.Theonlywayinwhichmemoriesareencodedinourbrainsisinlittle
tidbits,importantdetails,thissavesthebrainspaceandenergyasitdoesnothavetomakeas
manyconnections,whichentailscellgrowthandthereforemorecellmassandmorenutrientsare
necessary,soveryseldomdoesourbrainfullysaveaneventinourmemory,justlittlebitsand
piecesthatweputtogetherdifferentlyeverytimeweremembersomething.Sointhissensethe
memorytheoryholdsnogroundandcannotbethebasisofidentity,atleastnotinthesenseof
thememoriesthemselvesmakewhoweare.Itistheexperienceofthosememoriesthatmakesus
whoweare,wedoholdtheeffectthateventshaveonus,justnottheexacteventitself.
Whenyouthinkaboutwhyyouarewhoyouarethereusuallyisnotsomeclearcut
answerthatcomestoyourmind,thesamewithlikingsomething,theanswertothequestion
whydoyoulikethatsomuch?isusuallysomewherebetween,Ijustdoand,becauseits
greatnot,wellbecause22yearsagoYouexperiencedtheeventanditchangedyou,thereis

noneedforyoutokeepthememoryinyourmindtokeepthatchange.Ifthememoryisneeded
toconstantlymotivateyouthenthatisnotpartofyouridentity,youarejustlyingtoyourself,the
onlythingaboutthatthatispartofyouridentityisyourtendencytoconvinceyourselfofthat
motivation,notthatthatisnecessarilyabadthing.
Everyonehasreasonsfordoingthingsandtheirreasonsarebasedontheirtrue
motivationsthatarepartoftheiridentity,thealtruismofthosemotivationshasitsownscalethat
doesnotevenhavetopertaintothealtruismoftheaction.Suchas,asociopathwithnocarefor
othersmaysaveanotherlife,forthereasonthatthatpersoncouldhelptheminthefuture,the
actionwasaltruistic,butthereasonwasselfish.Sojustbecauseyouhavetoconvinceyourself
constantlyofamotivationdoesnotmakeitanylessusefulofamotivationtosociety,maybeyou
startsomethinglikethepeacecorpsthathelpsmillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld,isitbadif
youonlydidallthatforthefameorgloryratherthanthealtruismoftheaction?Eitherwayyou
helpedmillionsofpeople,andmaybeyoudiditbettersinceyourownselfinterestswerein
mind,youcoulddevotemoreofyourlifetoitmaybe,soisitwrong?
Inthissensememoriescandefinitelyinfluencewhatyoudowithwhoyouare,butthey
stilldonotchangewhoyouare,ifthesociopathwouldhaveforgottenwhatthatpersonthathe
couldhavesavedwasorcoulddo,hewouldnothavesavedtheperson,buthewouldstillbe
himself.Ifthefounderofthecharitywouldforgetwhatitfeltliketobeheldonahighpedestal
hewouldstillbeoutlookingforhisattentionfix,hejustwouldnotshootsohighforit,not
knowingthetasteofthatspecifickindofattentionwellenoughtoworkforit.
Ofcoursethereareotherestablishedtheoriesonidentityaswell,andIwilltalkabout
thembriefly,themostlikelyoftheestablishedtheoriesbeingthesoultheoryandtheriverof

selvesconceptionfromRowlands.Thesoultheory,whichIwouldreplacesoulwith
consciousnessorintelligence,simplystatesthateachpersonhasasoul,andthatsoulistheir
identity,thisaddsthatthesoulisconstant,eternal,andunchanging.Themainproblemhereis
thatitdoesnotanswerthequestion,asyoucannotseeasoul,soyoucanstillnotlabelanidentity
soidentityisstillamysteryandcannotbeshowntobeconstantitself.
TheriverofselvesisthetheorythatIwouldmostagreewith,althoughIdisagreewithits
implicationofsinceyouaredifferentyouareadifferentperson.Basicallytheriverofselves
statesthatthereisnoconstantyouwhatyouareisasurvivorofyourpastselves,andyouarea
differentsurvivoreveryday,hour,minute,andsecond,simplybecauseyouhavethatextra
experienceofthattime,everythingyouexperiencechangesyou,andanewsurvivorarisesto
becomeyou.Thereisnorealproblemwiththistheory,itanswersthequestionjustfine,asany
skepticstheorydoes,bysimplystatingyourearguingaboutstupidthingsbecause[blank]isnt
evenactuallyrealitsjustyoupresupposingnonsense,itsactually[speakersownpresupposed
nonsensethatsaysconceptisfalse].
Whilethistheoryissounditsimplyisnotafairargumentasitskirtsaroundthequestion,
wewillmostlikelyneveractuallysolveanyoftheseissuesthatiswhytheyhavebeenaround
forhundredsorthousandsofyears.Positingideastowidenourhorizonsistheonlythingwecan
accomplishwithmostofthesequestions,soskepticstheoriesthatshootdowntheconceptjust
kindofruinsthingsbyendingthedebates.
Then,tonameafewmore,thereisAristotlestheoryofidentitywhichstatesthataslong
asnoessentialchangehasoccurredanobjectisthesame,histheoryaccountsforthingssuchas
cellularreplacementinthebody,meaningthatthebodystaysthesameevenwithnewcells

replacingtheold,andminorpersonalitychanges,buthealsoputshisfourcausesintoeffect,as
longasnoneofthesearechangedtheobjectorpersonmustbethesameasbefore,aslongasthe
wholeexistsinaconstantstateandgoesthroughonlyaccidentalchanges,itisthesame.Iagree
withthistheorymostly,butthedefinitionofanaccidentalandessentialchangeseemsmalleable.
Soyoucouldeasilysaythatcertaineventschangeapersonenoughforittobeconsidered
essential,butmajorlifeeventsdonotchangewhoyouare,theymaychangeyou,butyouare
stillyou.
Humestheoryisofcourseaskepticstheory,sayingthereisnoidentityandweareonly
abundleofperceptions,whichisreallyonlygivinganewnametothesamethingandsayingitis
different.Humesideaisthatofacommonexistence,asoulthatweallshare,thatisonlyone,
andthatallweareisabundlelooselytiedtogetherbyexperience,whichisallthatcanseparate
individuals,whichisawordIuseforsimplicityasindividualsdonottrulyexistinthistheory.
Humescriticshavebroughtupthatinorderfortheseperceptionstobetiedtogethersomething
wouldhavetobeexperiencingthattogetherness,andthatthingwouldbeaboutthesameasan
identity,Iagree,somethinghastoholdourperceptionsintothisbundle,andifnotaconscious
identity,thenwhat?
TheMemoryTheorystatesthatknowledgeofsimplepiecesofinformationmakea
personwhotheyare,butitisalltoocomplexforthat,apersonisemotions,thoughts,habits,
tendencies,motives,experiences,andtalents.Apersoncannotbededucedtosimplebitsof
informationthatcanbestoredinacomputer.Sure,ifwedelvedeepenoughallwemightbeis
chemicalreactionsandelectricity,butwhatiscreatedfromthatsimplicityisfarmorecomplex,
greaterthanthesumofitspartsassomemightsay.AllwereallyareislumpsofCarbon,

Hydrogen,Nitrogen,Oxygen,andtracesofsomeotherbasicmaterial,butlookaroundyou
whereveryouarerightnowfor30secondsandyouwillseewhatsimplelumpsofCarboncan
reallydo.
Memoryissimplynotveryimportanttoidentity,youarewhoyouarewhetheryou
rememberspecificsornot,itistheimpactofthoseeventsthatmakesyouyou,falsememories
willnotchangethat,forgettingthingswillnotchangethat.Consciousness,ontheotherhand,is
veryimportant,asthoughyoucannotproveittoanyoneelse,youhaveexperiencedyour
consciousness,youarerightnow,andthatinitselfprovesyouridentity.Somaybewewillnever
beabletoprovethatwehaveanidentitytoanyoneotherthanourselves,thereisnowaythatyou
couldbefullyconvincedthatanyotherpersonisanythingmorethanaconstructofyourown
mind,anautomaton,oracomputerprograminaMatrixesqueworld.Allwecandotoremedy
thisistakealogicalleapoffaith,thereisnoupsidetolivingthroughlifeassumingeveryone
elseisfake.Unlessyoufindawaytobreakthroughthedeceptionitwouldbefruitless,butthen
thereisachancethatthedeceptionissogoodthatyoucouldneverbesure,andthenyouhaveto
livewiththatdoubtthatwhateveryoumaychoosetotryisactuallyhurtingpeople.
Inlightofallofthisinformation,thoughIcannotproveit,andIprobablyneverwillbe
ableto,IchoosetobelievethatIamme,youareyou,thisisallworthsomethingbecauseitis
real,andjustbecauseIcanIwillalsochoosetobelieveinsomeSartreanFreedom.MaybeIam
notthesamepersonasyesterday,norareyou,maybeyouarenotevenreal,andjustmaybeI
havenochoiceinanything,butwhatdoIgainfromanyofthatbeingtrue?SoIwillstickwith
theiroppositesandifIamwrongIwilldoeverythingIpossiblycantomakemyselfright,thatis
allwereallycandoisitnot?