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Single Idea 5175
[filed under theme 16. Persons / D. Continuity of the Self / 2. Mental Continuity / a. Memory is Self
]
Full Idea
The number of my perceptions which I can remember at any time always falls far short of the number of those which have actually occurred in my history, and those which I cannot remember are no less constitutive of my self than those which I can.
Gist of Idea
Personal identity is my perceptions, but not my memory, as I forget too much
Source
comment on John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694]) by A.J. Ayer - Language,Truth and Logic Ch.7
Book Ref
Ayer,A.J.: 'Language, Truth and Logic' [Penguin 1974], p.167
A Reaction
Ayer is summarising Hume's criticism of Locke. It implies that Hume agrees with Locke on the 'consciousness' theory, which is a theory which should appeal to all empiricists. It is nonsense, though. I am not my awareness of some passing gnat.
The
21 ideas
with the same theme
[relationship between the sense of Self and memories]:
22984
|
Without memory I could not even speak of myself
[Augustine]
|
17216
|
The poet who forgot his own tragedies was no longer the same man
[Spinoza]
|
5175
|
Personal identity is my perceptions, but not my memory, as I forget too much
[Ayer on Locke]
|
1363
|
Locke's theory confusingly tries to unite consciousness and memory
[Reid on Locke]
|
1368
|
Locke mistakes similarity of a memory to its original event for identity
[Reid on Locke]
|
1373
|
Identity over time involves remembering actions just as they happened
[Locke]
|
1380
|
Should we punish people who commit crimes in their sleep?
[Locke]
|
5027
|
If a person's memories became totally those of the King of China, he would be the King of China
[Leibniz]
|
12942
|
Memory doesn't make identity; a man who relearned everything would still be the same man
[Leibniz]
|
21313
|
If consciousness of events makes our identity, then if we have forgotten them we didn't exist then
[Butler]
|
1333
|
Memory only reveals personal identity, by showing cause and effect
[Hume]
|
1332
|
We use memory to infer personal actions we have since forgotten
[Hume]
|
21305
|
Memory not only reveals identity, but creates it, by producing resemblances
[Hume]
|
21307
|
Who thinks that because you have forgotten an incident you are no longer that person?
[Hume]
|
21323
|
The identity of a thief is only known by similarity, but memory gives certainty in our own case
[Reid]
|
7120
|
It is theoretically possible that the Ego consists entirely of false memories
[Sartre]
|
5666
|
Not all exerience can be remembered, as this would produce an infinite regress
[Ayer]
|
5665
|
Memory is the best proposal as what unites bundles of experiences
[Ayer]
|
1389
|
If memory is the sole criterion of identity, we ought to use it for other people too
[Shoemaker]
|
1390
|
Bodily identity is one criterion and memory another, for personal identity
[Shoemaker, by PG]
|
19744
|
If a person relies on their notes, those notes are parted of the extended system which is the person
[Clark/Chalmers]
|