Personal Identity in Illness
View/ Open
Author
Koch, McKenzie Lynn
Subject
Washington and Lee University -- Honors in Philosophy
Locke, John, 1632-1704
Carel, Havi Hannah
Identity (Psychology)
Sick
Personality
Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
McKenzie Lynn Koch is a member of the Class of 2021 of Washington and Lee University. Thesis; [FULL-TEXT FREELY AVAILABLE ONLINE] Locke argues that personal identity consists in consciousness, not the substance of either the soul or the body. I raised objections to Locke and offered criticism of Locke raised by others. Determining that an element of bodily persistence is necessary for the continuity of personal identity, I presented my view building on Locke's. I relied on Havi Carel's distinction between the lived body and the biological body to argue that identity exists through the continuity of consciousness and consciousness is based on memories of the lived body. The lived body was once the biological body. In certain cases, specifically in times of illness and disability, there can by a disparity between the experiences of the lived body and the capabilities biological body. This disparity in memory and current capability creates a lapse in personal identity. I then tested my view against a variety of thought experiments and responded to objections. I concluded that personal identity does consist in consciousness when the lived body and the biological body align. In times where there is a disparity in the two bodies, then there is a disparity in identity. [From Conclusion] McKenzie Koch