Personal Identity and Memory by Sydney S.

Shoemaker- Study Guide

Start reading at the bottom of Page 868 and end at the top of Page 882
Personal identity is the only identity that we have any real knowledge of
Shoemaker claims memory is a criterion for personal identity
o the self is a logical construction and is to be defined in terms of memory
o The concepts of memory and personal identity are not independent
o Does a persons ability to describe an event mean they witnessed the event?
Is it justified to claim memory is evidence for identity?
Is bodily identity a necessary condition of personal identity?
o The case of the cobbler and the prince
o If bodily transfer is possible, then it can be concluded that bodily identity is not a
sole criterion for personal identity and that memory and sameness of personality
are criterions
A mind is distinctly different from a body
o A person is essentially the identity of a mind
o All of this is based on the possibility of bodily transfer
Is bodily transfer the rule or the exception?
It must be further looked into if memory is the sole criterion for personal identity
o We must talk of personal identity not in the third person, but in the first to gain an
enlightened understanding
o Past tense statements imply the persistence of a person through time
Shoemaker states memory is not the criterion for personal identity
o It cannot be the sole criterion we use for making identity statements
o One does not use bodily identity as a criterion of personal identity when one says
on the basis of memory that one did something in the past, they do not even use
memory as a criterion, because they use no criterion at all
We must distinguish statements that are based on memory simply in the sense of being
memory statements from those that are based on memory in the sense of being
conclusions drawn from remembered facts
A memory statement cannot be valid if it cannot be made as a first person past tense
statement without the use of identity as a criterion
How do you distinguish between what you remember from the thought that you
remember something
Do you identify a remembered past self as your own self by private thoughts of said past
self?
Comparing a past sensation with ones memory of it could only be comparing ones
memory with itself
o Comparing something with itself is no way to discover whether or not two events
are related
o You can only identify a past sensation as one you remember
How does Shoemaker define remembrance?
Can memory claims be mistaken? How does this change the use of memory as a criterion
for personal identity?

If you remember such and such, this means that you in fact remember doing such in
question- you must have done it
Does Shoemaker believe bodily identity is a criterion for personal identity?
It is a logical fact, not a contingent fact that memory claims are true
If we are in doubt how to answer a question of identity this is an indication that are sole
criterion does not ultimately decide the answer- there is a conflict of criteria
Can there be personal identity in the absence of bodily identity? Look at the continued
case of the cobbler and the prince
What is the kernel of truth embodied in the view that personal identity can be defined in
terms of memory?