Personal Identity, philosophical Views

Alan Watts once said, 'Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.' The task of personal identity is to define a quality of a human which makes him or her a unique self. The person whose identity is in question must realize themselves, and other people must identify this person. In other words, what makes John unique from Bob? One must consider both internal (mind) and external (body) perspectives. There …

…therefore is always changing slightly. As James Baldwin, a U.S. author once quoted, 'An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.' 1 Alan Watts (1915-73), British-born U.S. philosopher, author. Life (New York, 21 April 1961). 2 Locke, John. Personal Identity. Page 69. 3 Locke, John. Personal Identity. Page 70. 4 James Baldwin (1924-87), U.S. author. The Price of the Ticket, 'No Name in the Street' (1985; first published 1972).