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Full Idea
A person is a thinking, intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places; which it does by that consciousness which is inseparable from thinking.
Gist of Idea
A person is intelligent, rational, self-aware, continuous, conscious
Source
John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 2.27.09)
Book Ref
Locke,John: 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', ed/tr. Nidditch,P.H. [OUP 1979], p.335
A Reaction
Locke's famous definition of a person. Several of the terms seem redundant, and it seems to come down to 'conscious, rational, and self-aware'. But 'self-aware' also seems redundant, because you must already be a person to be aware of it…
Related Ideas
Idea 20618 Persons must be conscious, reasoning, motivated, communicative, self-aware [Warren, by Tuckness/Wolf]
Idea 4669 Persons are conscious, they relate, they think, they feel, and they are self-aware [Glover]
1400 | Some cause must unite the separate temporal sections of a person [Descartes] |
5512 | Locke uses 'self' for a momentary entity, and 'person' for an extended one [Locke, by Martin/Barresi] |
1202 | A person is intelligent, rational, self-aware, continuous, conscious [Locke] |
4042 | Metaphysics requires the idea of people (speakers) located in space and time [Davidson] |
3238 | 'Dead person' isn't a contradiction, so 'person' is somewhat vague [Williams,B] |
3239 | You can only really love a person as a token, not as a type [Williams,B] |
20618 | Persons must be conscious, reasoning, motivated, communicative, self-aware [Warren, by Tuckness/Wolf] |
4669 | Persons are conscious, they relate, they think, they feel, and they are self-aware [Glover] |
6665 | Persons are selves - subjects of experience, with reflexive self-knowledge [Lowe] |