Am I the Same Self I was Ten Years Ago Essay - 1031 Words

To rise again - to be the same person that you were - you must have your memory perfectly fresh and present; for it is memory that makes your identity. If your memory be lost, how will you be the same man? — Voltaire Perhaps even Voltaire took a look in the mirror and questioned the same things I ask myself every day. Who am I, and who will I become? Am I the same self I was ten years ago? Some philosophers may question, â€Å"Am I the same person that continues to exist overtime, despite changes in my body? How can we know that we are today, the persons we were last week?† These types of questions may seem superficial on the surface but deep down, it is the basis of self-perception. Philosopher David Hume would argue that it is the†¦show more content†¦What about a house from the 1800s, even after 200 hundred some years, do you still consider it the same home? I would say yes! The objects although freshly remodeled are still the same objects they were from the beginning. I believe the same idea exists for people as well. Our souls remain the same but the mind and the body continues to evolve over time. Many people misconstrue the meaning behind self and person. It is in the eyes of the beholder that a person is identified. Although it is obvious to me that they are attached to my body, I cannot see my eyes or ears without looking in the mirror but others can see them. Identity is a differentiating factor. It is a means of how we differentiate from one another. Therefore, identity is not part of the internal mind or soul but the external body in which we live in. An oak that grows from a small plant to a large tree, is still the same oak; though there be not one particle of matter or figure of its parts the same. An infant becomes a man, and is sometimes fat, sometimes lean, without any change in his identity (Hume, 325). In the quote above, it seems that Hume was trying to explain that the physical properties of the oak tree changed, yet the oak still retains its identity and what its identity must be beyond the exterior. Hume seems to support what is called ‘animism’ (the idea that objects have souls) and idea that the changes in which the body evolvesShow MoreRelatedI Am Not The Same Person That I Was A Year Ago946 Words   |  4 PagesI am not the same person that I was a year ago. I am still a college student and a softball player here at ULM. I am still working towards my psychology degree and I still have all of my same core friends. But, in many ways I am a completely different person than I was at this time last year. Last year was actually a pretty rough year for me emotionally due to several personal events that were occurring in my life. 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