Hume’s Theory on the Enduring Self
Are you the same person you were at past moments in your life? Were you the same person that you were when you were ten? While initially, you might say yes- think about it in a deeper sense. Have you really not changed from the ten your old version of you? Your opinions, body and the very fundamental things that make you…you, have changed. This poses the question- what does indeed make you, you.
Many theories have been developed explaining what makes you who you are, the main ones are body and mind theory.
Body theory suggests that personal identity persists overtime because you remain in the same body from birth to death. While this initially seems true, there are issues with this strain of thought. One counter-argument is that your body is constantly changing. Your skin is shedding, cells are being replaced constantly and our skeletons are being remodelled. Furthermore, you look vastly different from the person you were at birth (if the person at birth was you, that is).
Philosopher John Locke was the pioneer behind Memory Theory suggesting that personal identity lies within the memories we retain and persists over time due to us linking back to memories in our past.
Does this mean that I’m not the same person I was a day, week, month or year ago? Am I just under an illusion that I am the same person as the person in those moments? Philosopher David Hume would agree.
Hume’s argument, I believe, presents the strongest case in answering this question and has been backed by other philosophers and thinkers alike.
Hume argued that what we think of as ourselves are really just a bunch of impressions. He claims that you can’t be the same person from one moment to the next, the idea of you ‘self’ doesn’t persist over time and that there is no same you from birth to death.
Think about it this way:
Collate all the things that make you who you are and put them into a bundle. This may include your DNA, favourite sports teams, the clothes you own, your passions, your eyes etc. Now think about what this same bundle would look like 10 years ago. Compare the two boxes. They are different. Hume ultimately thinks we’re all just ever-changing bunches of impressions who are under the illusion that we are constant due to the way in which be manifest ourselves through our body, which for the most part, looks similar from one day to the next.
This is the argument I personally side with as it has the most strength in terms of its point. From a metaphysical and mental approach, Hume’s theory ticks all the boxes by simply saying, “we don’t have an enduring self”. I further side with Hume’s argument as the other options are simply not as strong. Mind and body theory each have inherent flaws which can be tapped into.
For example, mind theory has inherent exceptions and flaws. To begin with, none of us remembers when we were born, so we can never surely know whether we are the same person that our mothers gave birth to. Furthermore, we as humans have false memories all the time. How do those faulty memories influence your identity? Do your false memories make you a fictional being? As seen in these counter-arguments, memory theory is also lacking in its ability to indefinitely provide a correct answer to the question of personal identity.
Justin Caoette wrote an article addressing Hume’s argument and framed it as a form of mind theory. Caoette combines determinism with Hume’s arguments to create a counter. He explains how the aspects of his bundles now were affected by his past bundles (through experiences, knowledge, observations) and asks whether this weakens the argument. While this may appear as a compelling counter, I believe Caoette has missed a key aspect of Hume’s theory. The principle behind Hume’s theory is that we are not the same from one moment to the next. It doesn’t matter if aspects of the bundle are linked to aspects in the past of ‘your’ bundle, the fact remains that those two bundles aren’t the same. Influences can come from anywhere and claiming that the link you have with that past bundle gives you identity isn’t necessarily true. For example, when I was in year 5, I enjoyed studying and liked learning. The bundle I was then, Caoette argues, eventually led me to gain acceptance into a selective school and do Philosophy as a subject. While this may be true, the bundle as a whole from me in year 5 to me now is completely different. Whilst cause and effect does play a part, the bundle is still different, and therefore, no person can be the same from one moment to the next.
Maria Popova also wrote an article arguing for Hume’s case. She gives an example of how we spend so much of our lives helping our ‘future’ selves. For example, one doesn’t buy a new, trendy shirt which makes them happy because they assume that their future selves will have wished they spent that money on something else. Popova claims that often- we are wrong. By trying to set our future selves up to reap the happiness that we currently want to feel, we often to a disservice to our future selves. The underlying idea is that we change, and by letting our future ‘selves’ down, we show to ourselves that we are not the same person from one day to the next. She goes on further to explore how this idea is liberating in that is eases the stress of worrying about the future. Her argument in essence is that, you are unable to predict what your future self likes, as you as a person change. This idea parallels with that of Hume’s in that it states that we are not the same from one moment to the next.
Hume’s argument is strong compared to other theories behind the issue of the enduring self. While intricate counters can be produced, it still has a strong line for argument. This is why I personally believe it is the strongest argument towards the issue of whether we as humans have an enduring self.
Bibliography:
Caouette, J. (2019). Personal Identity: Who are you? What am I?. [online] A Philosopher’s Take. Available at: https://aphilosopherstake.com/2012/09/26/personal-identity-who-are-you-what-am-i/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
Popova, M. (2019). The Psychology of Your Future Self and How Your Present Illusions Hinder Your Future Happiness. [online] Brain Pickings. Available at: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/06/18/daniel-gilbert-happiness-future-self/ [Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
