Foundations of Philosophy Class Summary 10/28/13

with Sally Zeiner

I think, therefore I am?

"Cogito ergo sum" concluded Rene Descartes. I think, therefore I am.

Last week, the students in the Foundations of Philosophy class continued to work on refining and articulating their position on the core of personal identity. They wrote down their ideas in class, and those who felt comfortable read them aloud. 

For the past two weeks we have been discussing the core ingredients of personal identity. Can you lose your body like the Tin Woodman or the children in Five Children and It? If you lose your memory, will you still be the same person? What about your feelings? What about your family? Which of these things can you lose without becoming a different person altogether?

The children have worked hard to establish their criteria for identity. I have been amazed by the insight revealed during our classroom discussions. They did a fantastic job explaining their thoughts on this challenging issue. 

Here are some of their conclusions:

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Musings...

I think that you need everything: Thoughts, Feelings, Body, Relationships and Memories to be yourself. You need those because if you didn't have them you would change and you wouldn't be the same person. Your body would change and you wouldn't have relationships and memories with your family. You would be different just because you lost those few things. To be yourself you need to have them. 
~ Ava

I see, therefore I am.
The events that happen around you can change your identity. For example, if you had a best friend for 10 years, and he dies in front of you, that would change your identity. 
~ Caleb

Every second you are changing, but it's just a minor impact. If it's small, it will disappear from your memory quickly. If I pinch myself, I feel it and remember it, but will forget it in less than a day. If it is major, like a car accident, you either never forget it, or it changes who you are. Your memory is a big part of your core, but you are always adding new memories, and throwing old ones out. 
~ Sadie

Every second you are changing. It’s like a puzzle. If even the smallest piece is changed the puzzle pieces move and you see everything from a different perspective. The way you see things changes who you are. If you gain knowledge you may see things in an entirely different way, hence changing who you are. Let me ask you - are you the same person you were five minutes ago? 
~Bert