The Body Theory - 1247 Words

The personal identity problem is a philosophical conundrum that asks the question, what makes someone the same over time, or what characterizes the preservation of one’s identity? The term identity does not refer to the type of sameness identical twins have, or quantitative identity, but rather refers to numerical identity, that is for X and Y to be identical, everything possessed by X must also be possessed by Y (Leibniz’s Law). With this in mind, one might say they have the same body as they did a year ago so they must be the same person now as they were then. This answer is called the Body Theory, for obvious reasons. It states that personal identity is preserved through the preservation of one’s body. Although this may seem like a good answer on the surface, there are many flaws to the Body Theory. Let’s look at the case of a mad scientist named Dr. Jeckyll, who creates and drinks a mysterious concoction which knocks him out. Upon awaking, Jeckyll has aquired a new set of less than savory mannerisms and habits in replacement of his old ones and knows nothing of Dr. Jeckyll nor has any memories from Jeckyll’s life. After a night of wreaking havoc, this new personality, let’s call him Mr. Hyde, goes to sleep and wakes up the next morning as Jeckyll once again. Jeckyll’s last memory is drinking his concoction before he was knocked out and he knows nothing of Hyde nor his misdeeds. Jeckyll goes about his day and goes to bed but when he wakes up he is no longer Jeckyll, butShow MoreRelatedThe Mind And Body : Theories1174 Words   |  5 PagesThe mind and body are two abstract concepts however; they both can be deduced to a simple principle of materialism. Rene Descartes posed a claim that, the mind and body are not related and concludes that a brain is m ade of matter while a mind is made of â€Å"mental processes, thought and consciousness† (simply psychology). However, Thomas Hobbes argued that â€Å"everything in the world, including our thoughts and mind, can be explained in terms of one thing: matter in motion (many world of logic). ThroughoutRead MoreThe Theory Of Consciousness And The Body1847 Words   |  8 Pagesthe word consciousness is used regarding human beings, the word itself usually implies that those individuals are conscious of being conscious. Many individuals assume that the mind, the brain, and the body react as one. But the idea of the mind is not related to the concept of the brain or the body. These differences allow philosophers to determine a people’s consciousness in the world around them. Individuals derive the concept of consciousness from their experience because consciousness itselfRead MoreThe Theory Of The Soul And Body944 Words   |  4 PagesTo Socrates, â€Å"the one aim of tho se who practice philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death† (Phaedo, 64a). One’s soul is the key to knowledge, but the body tends to bring the soul down. In order to strive for that knowledge, the body must be separated from the soul. Socrates believed that part of accomplishing this, one must concentrate on the well-being of their soul and work on being self-aware. To him, most people didn’t have this ability, hence the reason why he said â€Å"thoseRead MoreThe Body Theory And Its Strength And Weaknesses991 Words   |  4 Pagesfew theories that can help with figuring out what makes me, me. There is the soul theory, the body theory, and the personality theory. The body theory consists of the brain and body theory and the torso and body theory. After looking into each theory carefully through Kagan’s lectures, I found that there were flaws in all three theories. The theory that I favor, however, is the body theory and more specif ically the brain aspect of that theory. In my essay I will discuss why I favor the body theoryRead MoreThe Mind Body Identity Theory1668 Words   |  7 Pagesout the nature of a human person; this has lead to various theories and speculation about the nature of the human mind and body. The question they are tying to answer is whether a human being is made of only the physical, body and brain, or both the physical or the mental, mind. In this paper I will focus on the mind-body Identity Theory to illustrate that it provides a suitable explanation for the mind and body interaction. Identity Theory Identity theorists hold the view that the mental eventsRead Moresoul and body theories Essay774 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Name Course Lecturer Date of submission Soul and Body Theory Many of the ancient theories composed by early Greek philosophers were based on rationalism and empiricism. Empiricism refers to acquiring knowledge through experimental insight while on the other hand rationalism is acquiring of knowledge through ones practical understanding. Socrates work is studied in depths up to date, example being â€Å"Republic of Plato† whose author was Plato. SocratesRead MoreThe Theory Of The Mind Body Dualism1232 Words   |  5 Pagesscholastic Aristotelianism and created the first version of the modern mind-body dualism or emotion† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Born on March 31, 1596, he was dubbed as the Father of Modern Philosophy. His theory on the mind-body dualism, also known as Cartesian Dualism, created a stem of the modern problem of the relationship between the mind and body. He created the early version to further explain the interaction of the mind and body, to create a firm foundation that can be explained through science andRead MoreThe Leading Body For Attribution Theory1502 Words   |  7 Pages the leading body for attribution theory and Harold Kelley (1972) and Bernard Weiner (1986), who along with many other psychologists have since attempted to further explain why and how we make attributions. Research to support and contradict their findings will also be covered throughout the text. The term attribution refers to how we as human beings attach meaning to our own, and other people s behaviour. It has been suggested by Fiske and Taylor (1991) that the attribution theory explains waysRead MoreThe Theory Of Body Types, And The Y Chromosome Theory1194 Words   |  5 Pagesto Sociology March 26, 2016 Deviance Many different theories exist regarding deviance. Biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives have applied their different thought processes to produce many theories. Some of these ideas have been discredited, however some remain significant today. Sociological theories differ from biological and psychological theories by looking at external factors rather than internal ones. Biological theories on deviance are the result of looking for answers thatRead MoreThe Theory Of The Mind Body Problem2474 Words   |  10 PagesSonya Cronkrite PHI 344 June 21, 2016 The Mind- Body Problem The mind-body problem is the dilemma of explaining how mental states, events, and processes are related to physical states, events, and processes, given that the human body is a physical thing and the mind is not physical. How does the mind associate with the body if they are not considered the same entities? In this essay I will attempt to persuade you that the mind and the body operate together, one having an effect on the other