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    Carmelics

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Original/inverse
    See Original
    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Locke and his successors ground personal identity in continuity of memory and psychological connectedness, not in stable character traits.

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Memory is unreliable and reconstructive; relying on it makes personal identity too contingent on cognitive accidents rather than something fundamental.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.The transitivity problem: chains of overlapping memories connect me to my childhood self, but childhood-me shares no direct memories with present-me.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Character traits (values, dispositions, moral commitments) constitute who we are more fundamentally than disconnected memory episodes ever could.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Memory continuity provides empirical criteria for personal identity that don't rely on unobservable metaphysical entities like immaterial souls.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.We intuitively judge identity by psychological connections: amnesia victims seem like different people, and this reflects how identity actually works.
      ?

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    • 3.Character traits fluctuate throughout life (reformed criminals, converts), yet we consider them the same person—proving character isn't identity's basis.
      ?

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