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Amy Krispow
Professor Drexler
April, 2016
Identity and Personhood
One of the biggest questions in life is, Who am I? I'm sure we've all asked ourselves
this question, at least once. This question, regarding self and personal identity, has always been
of concern to philosophers. Descartes, Locke, and Aristotle have all pondered this question and
formulated theories about self and identity. Going through the theories of these great
philosophers, I will answer the questions of self, self identity, and whether Brother Edward is the
Black Rose Killer.
John Locke defines personal identity by first defining what a person is, We must
consider what person stands for; - which, I think, is a thinking intelligent being, that has reason
and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and
places; which it does only by that consciousness which is inseparable from thinking, and as it
seems to me, essential to it. Locke established that consciousness is essential to a person, which
is why he believes personal identity is founded on consciousness, and not on the substance of the
body or the soul.
Locke said, For, since consciousness always accompanies thinking, and it is that which
makes every one to be what he calls self, and thereby distinguishes himself from all other
thinking things, in this alone consists personal identity, and as far as this consciousness can be
extended backwards to any past action or thought, so far reaches the identity of that person.
Locke's identity theory is that self identity is that self, depends on consciousness, not on

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substance. We are the same self, as long as we have consciousness of future, past, and present
thoughts and actions.
Due to Locke's belief of this, Locke would not agree that Brother Edward is the Black
Rose Killer. Brother Edward had his memories erased, which is where self identity is found.
Locke believes a person is only accountable for acts they are conscious for, and in this case
Brother Edwards was not conscious during the murders. So although he is the same physical
being, he is not the same self.
In Descartes second meditation, he concludes that he does in fact, exist. He comes to the
decision that, I think, therefore I am or Cogito Ergo Sum. He then moves onto asking
himself the question of what he is. Descartes decides that things in the world are substances, and
a substance is something that can exist independently of all things. Since the mind fits this
criteria, it can be viewed as a substance. Descartes said that thought is the essence of the mind,
and he held the belief that the essence is what matters about, and defines, a substance. Therefore,
the mind is defined by thought. Through this, he eventually draws the conclusion that he is a
thinking thing, and that is how he defines self.
Unlike Locke, Descartes believed that identity must be found in whatever remains
identical to itself over time. While the material body is always changing, the immaterial soul
remains the same. This is why Descartes says we cannot be identified by our material body, and
the source of our identity is the immaterial soul. In this theory, self identity is continuous,
unchanging, and never dies. Descartes also believed that the consciousness of the mind and body
is connected to thought, and that the essence of the mind and body is thought.
Descartes would definitely believe that Brother Edward is The Black Rose Killer. Brother

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Edward had his memories erased, Descartes doesn't base self identity on memories like Locke
does. Descartes believes that the immaterial soul cannot be changed, and can never die. Brother
Edward still contains the same soul that he did while he was the Black Rose Killer, therefore he
is the same self.
Aristotle said, We do not have knowledge of a thing until we have grasped its why, that
is to say, its explanation. He uses the four causes to answer the question, What am I? The first
cause is the material cause, which is the physical material something is made from. Using the
example of a human being, we are physically made from cells, DNA, organs, and so on. The
second cause is the efficient cause, or how something was made. Humans were made by
procreating and the miracle of birth. The third is the formal cause, or who was the creator. The
formal cause of a human is their parents. The final cause, actually called the final cause, is the
purpose of something. In this case, I find the purpose of a human hard to define, as many people
would consider the answer different things. For example, one might think the purpose of a
human is to procreate, while another might think it's to create the world around us.
Aristotle believed in bodily continuity. This means that for a person to be the same self,
they must consist of the same matter. He also believed that the essence of a being is it's soul, and
the soul is inseparable from the being. With this theory, the soul dies when the physical being
dies.
Aristotle would agree with Descartes that Brother Edward is The Black Rose Killer,
although for various different reasons. Since Brother Edwards continues on in the same body as
The Black Rose Killer, he consists of the same matter, contains the same soul, and is the same
self.

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So we have three philosophers, all with different theories on what self identity. Locke
believes self identity is based on consciousness. Descartes believes it's found in the immaterial
soul, which never changes or dies, and Aristotle believes the physical being is what defines self
identity. I don't fully agree or disagree with any of these philosophers theories, which makes
sense since they all contradicting.
Starting with memory, I do believe our memories have a great deal to do with who we
are. As we grow, we change, react, and are formed through our experiences and our memories.
We make different choices based on situations we've been through in the past. If you've reacted
to something regrettably in the past, you make a different choice in the future. If your memory is
erased, your identity has basically been erased. Others can try to tell you what it was you used to
like, but no one can tell you how to be yourself.
I also believe the body and the soul have a connection, although I believe the soul
continues on when the physical body dies. Even if I lost my memory, although I wouldn't be the
same person as before in many ways, I still believe I have the same soul. As for the body itself
relating to self identity, I have varying views on this. My body is a huge part of who I am and a
factor that I use in identifying myself, but a factor of self identity.
After analyzing the various theories of the philosophers, overall, I believe that Brother
Edward is The Black Rose Killer. He was forced to have his memories erased. If he wasn't
forced, there's probably a small chance that he would have just upped and become a priest. He
would have most likely continued making the same choices. Let's look at another example, say a
drunk driver got into an accident, killed a child, but lost his memory in the crash. Should he not
be held responsible for his actions just because he has amnesia? The consciousness is a big part

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of what defines a person, but it's not the defining factor.