hume on identity

Hume believes that the self is an illusion or a fiction. What is his argument? Do you find It convincing? Why or why not?

Hume’s idea of self or identity is based around the notion that our personality relates directly to our memory. In a passage written by Hume, he states “memory not only discovers the identity, but also contributes to its production, by producing the relation of resemblance among the perceptions”. I agree strongly with this statement, and I think it follows the commonly known idea that states our past experiences make up our present self. Hume’s perception of identity and self follows the same premise, but it dives deeper into the different perceptions and how they relate to memories.

Hume believes that there is not one impression that gives us a sense of self, rather multiple impressions give us a reference to form a sense of self. However, Hume dislikes the idea that an impression can stay constant. He thinks that all impressions vary over time and can be perceived in different ways at different stages in life. He elaborates on the idea that sensations formed by memories are constantly building on each other. I agree with this idea. If I were to think about a memory with an ex-boyfriend in our present day, the memory would not be joyous and happy. Since I have developed negative memories with this person since the time of that memory, the joyous and happy emotions I was feeling in the moment are distorted by the less positive emotions caused by that person. This idea of memories being clouded and distorted as time goes on is what I believe builds our personality. We base future experiences off of past faults or shortcomings, but at times, we forget the reality of those past negative experiences.

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