I Am 1000 People in One Body
By Hannah Hippmann
With year 12 graduation approaching, I (currently in year 10), wonder how much I will change in these 2 perilous years. But, despite whatever change I may go through, we all still call ourselves the same name, exist in the same body, and own the same possessions. On paper, I’m the same person. But is that fair? Are we really the same person throughout our entire lives? Does continuity of name necessarily imply continuity of identity? If not, what is the real me?
Before I question further, this entire question depends on the idea of personal identity. What is it, though? We throw around the term identity casually as a substitute for moral character, personality traits, outward perceptions, and actions. What defines us, and what doesn't? It seems to me that personal identity is a metaphysical concept of how one views oneself, encompassing beliefs, values, and roles within social groups.
Well, as a seasoned philosophy student, I respond to these questions with a thought experiment: the famous Ship of Theseus, a paradox that interrogates whether an object remains fundamentally the same if all of its components are gradually replaced over time.
Plutarch’s version of the experiment begins with the preservation of a ship used by the hero Theseus. As the wooden planks gradually decayed, they were replaced with new timber. At some point, there are no original planks on the ship. Is this ship the same, as it never ceases to exist at any moment, or is it a new ship since all the materials are entirely different from the original?
This core dilemma becomes more compelling when applied to human identity, because unlike a ship, we are not only transformed physically, but also psychologically and metaphysically - values, beliefs, and consciousness. Change, which is in constant flux, will gradually or abruptly be so profound that a new rather than modified identity will be born. Stomach and intestinal cells replace themselves every 2-7 days, skin cells every 2-4 weeks, bone cells every 10 years, and brain cells may last a lifetime. Physically, our bodies are continually replacing themselves, much like the decaying planks of Theseus’ ship. Nevertheless, I believe consciousness and identity are removed from the physical body, so this doesn’t apply too deeply. Our dilemma evolves into a fundamental question of identity against change. Due to new experiences, priorities, relationships, and values, does a singular identity persist?
Psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson, in the 12 Rules for Life Tour, comments on these paradoxes within human identity, stating that a significant collapse in the psyche “causes trouble (the collapse), but I regroup, I learn, I regenerate, I put myself back together, and it happens again, and it happens again. But each time it happens, maybe, you’re a little wiser, you’re a little more put together.”. This suggests that personal crises reshape an individual, much like an injured organism adapting to survive. Whilst persuasive and a common narrative attributed to identity, it assumes that continuity reigns above transformation at all costs. I concede that minor changes may maintain continuity in identity, but to say even the largest of struggles does not constitute transformation may be too absolute. The conclusion here would be that there is a threshold of environmental and mental change that crosses into a transformation of identity. This paradox becomes more difficult when we question where this threshold is. Admittedly, I can only speculate, and this inquiry is tied to what differentiates one identity from another.
Since the evolution of identity is not solely an addition of knowledge, but an alteration of perspective, there are fundamentally significant changes that could justify the creation of a fresh identity. Yet to prove this, there must be a concrete and measurable definition of identity, which I do not possess. Is identity a mere concept that exists uniquely in everyone’s minds, a metaphysical Form, or is this issue semantic? Thus, the ship of Theseus, and our problem of identity, cannot inform us whether we remain the same person. Instead, it uncovers the eternal uncertainty of identity’s nature and whether it is continuous or not. Perhaps the paradox and lack of understanding of identity didn’t seek an answer, but rather sought to expose that we cannot explain our own identity.
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