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Philosophy / Unit 5   Philosophy 0185 short lesson, about 20 seconds

The Question of Personal Identity

Captions available

The idea

The question of personal identity: what makes a person at one time the same person as someone at another time—what does survival consist in?

In practice

The reunion photo: nothing about you—cells, beliefs, memories, size—survives from age five. Something makes it your photo anyway.

Where people slip

The question is metaphysical, not psychological—"finding yourself" is a different project.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

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