The Epistemology of the Self – How to Know You are Still You

Our identities and relationships with ourselves are constantly changing. Every moment we are exposed to experiences that expand our consciousness and shift our perspectives. It is impossible to remain exactly the same over any calculable period of time. As long as you live your mind is constantly working and your body is always changing. Each new moment brings on a different aspect to your identity. The complexity of identity along with the fact that you are constantly changing and adapting from personal experiences is what helps distinguish you from everybody else; no one has the exact same sequence of experiences and circumstances. Change is an inevitable part of life and physicality can not be the sole aspect looked at when evaluating existence.

Pre-lived experiences and memories don’t shed as easily as skin cells. The constant expansion of the mind is indicative that you have existed for a duration of time. An empiricist would argue that your lived experiences formulate your identity and determine what exactly makes you who you are. John Locke’s theory of the tabula rasa, or blank slate, demonstrates that consciousness is the result of sensory experience (Bennett, 2004). This theory would conclude that physical change is not responsible for diminishing identity, but for evolving identity and furthering individuality. Each skin cell being shed from your body has fallen by the means of your own unique circumstance, which ultimately differentiates you from everyone else. John Locke would laugh at the idea that shedded skin cells could disrupt the means of your existence.

It is certain that change is a vital aspect of existence. This is known because it is fundamentally impossible for anything to stay the exact same. The universe as we know it simply couldn’t function without change. Shedding skin is merely another part of life; our species would go extinct if we couldn’t generate new skin cells. This proves the point that physicality alone doesn’t hold enough depth to determine one’s existence. Descartes would strengthen my theory by using his analogy of essentialism. What is essential about a human is not its size, colour, or other inessential traits, but the fact that we’re “something that essentially does thinking” (Bennett, 2004). Therefore, according to Descartes our constant reproduction and shedding of skin cells has no relation to what is essential about being a human.

Existence is the accumulation of every aspect of one’s self. Existence is not defined by identity. However, identity is an essential aspect of existence. Every being is a vast accumulation of identity that has intensified in complexity over the span of its existence. Identity is ever changing and existence is the pillar that allows life to flourish. Existence defines everything that falls under the umbrella of our lived realities.

References

Bennett, Jonathan. (2004) “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book I: Innate Notions.” Early Modern Texts, https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/locke1690book1.pdf.

Bennett, Jonathan. (2004) “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book II: Ideas – Early Modern Texts.” Early Modern Texts, https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/locke1690book2.pdf.

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