Self, Memory and Consciousness in the Context of Locke and Hume's Understanding of Personal Identity

Abstract

In this article, considering Locke and Hume's thoughts, the concept of personal identity will be discussed. In this context, firstly, a historical record of the problem will be given, then the meaning that Locke has attributed to this concept for the first time will be evaluated. Locke's failure to see neither the soul nor the body as the criterion that determines what makes us has caused a break in this subject in history of philosophy. In this sense, Locke has highlighted the concept of memory and handled it in relation to the concept of consciousness. Hume, though using similar concepts, has reached different conclusions. For him, personal identity is nothing more than an illusion. In this article, we will try to make an explanation by focusing on the aforementioned thoughts and also mention the importance of the problem in terms of the current state of philosophy.