Questioning Identity

If I were to ask you to describe yourself when you were 10 years old, what would you say?

Personally if you were to ask me, my response would be along the lines of "I was short. I loved ice cream. Recess was my favorite thing. The hardest thing I'd ever have to do was adding fractions. And my favorite show was anything on Disney Channel." Obviously now, the answer to most of these questions would be pretty different aside from the fact that I still love ice cream. 

The question of this week focuses on identity. Specifically the question: Are we the same people we were when we were 10 years old? 

Obviously in comparison to 8 years ago, a lot of aspects that make up who I am, or essentially my identity, have changed. For example, I have experienced a lot more and thus have become a more well rounded and more educated. I don't necessarily have the same interests, hobbies, or even the same friends. Despite these changes, I still believe that I am the same person I was all those years ago. The only thing that has changed are my new experiences that have molded who I have become today. 

In the text "A Dialog on Personal Identity and Immorality", Weirob and Miller debate the concept of identity and what happens to one's existence after death. Personally when reading the dialogue, I agreed with their statement that someone's past experiences are a crucial aspect of what make up one's identity. Our memories essentially connect different stages of our life that are united by the same "flow of consciousness". Having lived these experiences we can actually look back and remember them, as opposed to seemingly remembering them. Therefore, the reason I think that I am the same person as my 10 year old self is because I can remember my experiences from 10 years old, although foggy, and those experiences have contributed in my personal evolution into who I am today. I am merely a developed and evolved version of the same person I was at 10 years old. 

The consequences of this response in relation to memory involve something that Weirob commented on in the dialogue. There is an unknown factor of whether we are sure we are remembering the memory itself, or if we are seemingly remembering what others have told us. If we are simply remembering what others have told us, then how can we know for sure that it was us who in fact experienced what we had at 10 years old. In relation to survival this arises the issue of whether someone in another life will be able to experience the same thought and have access to the same memories and experiences I have lived. Lastly in relation to responsibility this arises the consequence that we are accountable for our past actions, since we are the same person throughout our life.