INTRODUCTION
The problem of memory is an epistemological problem and has remained a perennial problem from time immemorial. Consequently, philosophers have struggled for centuries to make conceptual clarification between memory and personal identity without success. However, according to John Locke, one’s personal identity extends only so far as their own consciousness, so long as one is the same self, the same rational being. Hence, he maintains that one has the same personal identity. Thus given this assertion, it implies that any change in one’s personal identity, automatically implies that the self has changed. As a result, the bond between consciousness and memory in Lockean’s personal argument has awaken us from our dogmatic slumber. Therefore, it is in this light that we intend to make detailed analysis with a view to pointing out the pitfalls of the Lockean notion of personal argument.1
John Locke in his book titled “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”(1999) edited by Jin Manis and James Hazleton, argued for the continuity of consciousness, that so far one is able to remember having performed an action, then definitely one has performed such action, and that if one is unconscious of performing an action, then one has not performed such action, according to him, “so long as one is the same self, the same rational being, he maintains that one has the same personal identity, critiques shall be made against his view that “memory is a necessary condition for personal identity”.2
David Hume in his book titled “A Treatise Of Human Nature” (1988) abridged by Justin Caoutte, Hume was in contrast with Locke that personal identity transcends overtime, since according to him, there are no underlying objects, and there is nobody who can continue to exist overtime, Hume’s theory of personal identity will be used as one of the major criticism of the Lockean memory theory.3
Thomas Reid in his book titled “An Inquiry Into The Human Mind On The Principles of Common Sense”(2007) abridged by Jonathan Bennett, In this book, Thomas Reid argued that memory cannot be the necessary and sufficient condition for personal identity, according to him, it is nonsensical to say that a person’s memory of having performed an action, makes it the case that such person has performed such action, Reid maintains that, to say this, is to say that a person’s testimony is the cause of the testified, Reid’s notion shall also be used as one of the critique of Lockean memory theory.4
Henry Bergson in his book titled “Matter and Memory” (2005) translated by Nancy Margaret and Paul Scott, argued that memory is a deeply spiritual entity, although he maintains that memory perform the recollection of our experiences, which is physical, to him, memory can be equated with the working techniques of the brain, he however differs on Locke’s opinion as to whether memory is a basis for personal identity. According to him, memory can only be a sufficient condition for personal identity, but not a necessary condition for personal identity, for Bergson, to say memory is a necessary condition for personal identity is to say that without memory there can never be personal identity, which is not the case, because despite us not remembering some certain actions which we might have performed, those actions constitute a long way in our personal identity. This is because, the fact that we cannot remember them does not remove them from our personal identity.5
John Sutton in his book titled “Philosophy of Memory” (1999) described memory as the most striking manifestation of the peculiar way human beings are embedded in time. According to him, when a person reminisce over past experiences, such person has made use of memory ,and it is on this view that he further described memory as the link between our past to the present and the future. The future in the sense that, human beings carry around with them what they will need in other to remember when circumstances were right and wrong. However, John Sutton did not make known his position as to whether memory is the basis for personal identity, but his definition of memory as the link between our past, present and the future may put him in concord with John Locke’s opinion that memory is a basis for personal identity.6
The problems of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer inherent in Lockean notion of personal argument endeared me to examine the theory. With these inherent problems, how can it serve as the basis for personal identity? It is in a bid to answer this question that the work is set to address these problems of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer inherent in Lockean memory theory.
The question or reality of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer are issues arising from Lockean memory theory of personal identity. It is as a result of this that this work sets as its purpose to critically look into the implications as a basis for personal identity. It aims essentially at pointing out the pitfalls such as, memory loss, forgetfulness and brain transfer in Lockean notion of personal identity. And also to show that it cannot be the basis of personal identity as Locke muted.
In carrying out this essay, analytic method will be adopted, so as to enable us analyze critically the Lockean memory theory, as a basis for personal identity. It will also allow us to point out it’s pitfalls, thereby proffering solution to the problem. This work argues the thesis that owning to the issue of forgetfulness, Locke’s memory theory cannot be accepted as basis for personal identity.
The Adekunle Ajasin University Library shall be the mainly use library to source for information concerning this essay, while recourse will also be made to the Ekiti State University if need be. So also, i shall make use of internet materials and related text books.
The scope of memory in epistemology is a very broad concept, it stems from epistemology in philosophy to psychology in social science. But for the purpose of this essay, we shall focus mainly on the philosophical scope and nature of memory.
References
1. J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1999)
2. J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1999)
3. D. Hume, A treatise of Human Nature (1988)
4. T. Reid, An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the principles of Common Sense, (2007)
5. H. Bergson, Matter and Memory, (2005)
6. J. Sutton, Philosophy of Memory (1999)
The problem of memory is an epistemological problem and has remained a perennial problem from time immemorial. Consequently, philosophers have struggled for centuries to make conceptual clarification between memory and personal identity without success. However, according to John Locke, one’s personal identity extends only so far as their own consciousness, so long as one is the same self, the same rational being. Hence, he maintains that one has the same personal identity. Thus given this assertion, it implies that any change in one’s personal identity, automatically implies that the self has changed. As a result, the bond between consciousness and memory in Lockean’s personal argument has awaken us from our dogmatic slumber. Therefore, it is in this light that we intend to make detailed analysis with a view to pointing out the pitfalls of the Lockean notion of personal argument.1
John Locke in his book titled “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”(1999) edited by Jin Manis and James Hazleton, argued for the continuity of consciousness, that so far one is able to remember having performed an action, then definitely one has performed such action, and that if one is unconscious of performing an action, then one has not performed such action, according to him, “so long as one is the same self, the same rational being, he maintains that one has the same personal identity, critiques shall be made against his view that “memory is a necessary condition for personal identity”.2
David Hume in his book titled “A Treatise Of Human Nature” (1988) abridged by Justin Caoutte, Hume was in contrast with Locke that personal identity transcends overtime, since according to him, there are no underlying objects, and there is nobody who can continue to exist overtime, Hume’s theory of personal identity will be used as one of the major criticism of the Lockean memory theory.3
Thomas Reid in his book titled “An Inquiry Into The Human Mind On The Principles of Common Sense”(2007) abridged by Jonathan Bennett, In this book, Thomas Reid argued that memory cannot be the necessary and sufficient condition for personal identity, according to him, it is nonsensical to say that a person’s memory of having performed an action, makes it the case that such person has performed such action, Reid maintains that, to say this, is to say that a person’s testimony is the cause of the testified, Reid’s notion shall also be used as one of the critique of Lockean memory theory.4
Henry Bergson in his book titled “Matter and Memory” (2005) translated by Nancy Margaret and Paul Scott, argued that memory is a deeply spiritual entity, although he maintains that memory perform the recollection of our experiences, which is physical, to him, memory can be equated with the working techniques of the brain, he however differs on Locke’s opinion as to whether memory is a basis for personal identity. According to him, memory can only be a sufficient condition for personal identity, but not a necessary condition for personal identity, for Bergson, to say memory is a necessary condition for personal identity is to say that without memory there can never be personal identity, which is not the case, because despite us not remembering some certain actions which we might have performed, those actions constitute a long way in our personal identity. This is because, the fact that we cannot remember them does not remove them from our personal identity.5
John Sutton in his book titled “Philosophy of Memory” (1999) described memory as the most striking manifestation of the peculiar way human beings are embedded in time. According to him, when a person reminisce over past experiences, such person has made use of memory ,and it is on this view that he further described memory as the link between our past to the present and the future. The future in the sense that, human beings carry around with them what they will need in other to remember when circumstances were right and wrong. However, John Sutton did not make known his position as to whether memory is the basis for personal identity, but his definition of memory as the link between our past, present and the future may put him in concord with John Locke’s opinion that memory is a basis for personal identity.6
The problems of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer inherent in Lockean notion of personal argument endeared me to examine the theory. With these inherent problems, how can it serve as the basis for personal identity? It is in a bid to answer this question that the work is set to address these problems of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer inherent in Lockean memory theory.
The question or reality of memory loss, forgetfulness, and brain transfer are issues arising from Lockean memory theory of personal identity. It is as a result of this that this work sets as its purpose to critically look into the implications as a basis for personal identity. It aims essentially at pointing out the pitfalls such as, memory loss, forgetfulness and brain transfer in Lockean notion of personal identity. And also to show that it cannot be the basis of personal identity as Locke muted.
In carrying out this essay, analytic method will be adopted, so as to enable us analyze critically the Lockean memory theory, as a basis for personal identity. It will also allow us to point out it’s pitfalls, thereby proffering solution to the problem. This work argues the thesis that owning to the issue of forgetfulness, Locke’s memory theory cannot be accepted as basis for personal identity.
The Adekunle Ajasin University Library shall be the mainly use library to source for information concerning this essay, while recourse will also be made to the Ekiti State University if need be. So also, i shall make use of internet materials and related text books.
The scope of memory in epistemology is a very broad concept, it stems from epistemology in philosophy to psychology in social science. But for the purpose of this essay, we shall focus mainly on the philosophical scope and nature of memory.
References
1. J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1999)
2. J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1999)
3. D. Hume, A treatise of Human Nature (1988)
4. T. Reid, An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the principles of Common Sense, (2007)
5. H. Bergson, Matter and Memory, (2005)
6. J. Sutton, Philosophy of Memory (1999)
PLEASE,
print the following instructions and information if you will like to order/buy
our complete written material(s).
HOW TO RECEIVE PROJECT MATERIAL(S)
After paying the appropriate amount (#3000) into our bank Account
below, send the following information to our Whatsapp 08061135915 OR bavicola13@gmail.com, edupedia17@gmail.com :
(1) Your project
topics
(2) Email
Address
(3) Payment
Name
(4) Teller Number
We will send the DOWNLOAD LINK for your material(s) immediately we
receive bank alert
BANK ACCOUNTS
Account
Name: Bakare Victor Oladapo
Access Bank 0759882072
First Bank 3077844205
Skye Bank 3023641985
GT Bank 0262146570
Access Bank 0759882072
First Bank 3077844205
Skye Bank 3023641985
GT Bank 0262146570
HOW TO IDENTIFY SCAM/FRAUD
As
a result of fraud in Nigeria, people don’t believe there are good online
businesses in Nigeria.
But
on this site, we have provided “chapter one” of all our project topics and
materials in order to convince you that we have the complete materials.
Secondly,
we have provided our Bank Account on this site. Our Bank Account contains
all information about the owner of this website. For your own security,
all payment should be made in the bank.
No
Fraudulent company uses Bank Account as a means of payment, because Bank
Account contains the overall information of the owner.
CAUTION/WARNING
Please, DO NOT COPY any of our materials on this website
WORD-TO-WORD. These materials are to assist, direct you during your
project. Study the materials carefully and use the information in
them to develop your own new copy. Copying these materials word-to-word is
CHEATING/ ILLEGAL because it affects Educational standard, and we will not be
held responsible for it. If you must copy word-to-word please do not order/buy.
That you ordered this material shows you have agreed not to copy
word-to-word.
Comments
Post a Comment