Based on your understanding of the different theories of personal identity, which of the following philosophers is most likely to have said: "The mind is a kind of theatre, where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away [...] There is properly no simplicity in it at one time, nor identity in different [...]"
Select one:
a. The same body theorist
b. Nancy Holmstrom
c. John Locke
d. David Hume
e. Stanley Milgram
I think c
Sorry, buddy, this is out of my area. I'll try to help on history, English, and some other areas, but this one isn't mine. Hope someone else can help.
Reed, its ok. Thanks for your help with history problems though.
You're very welcome.
C is incorrect.
The quote is actually by David Hume.
The whole quote is:
"But setting aside some metaphysicians of this kind, I may venture to affirm of the rest of mankind, that they are nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement. Our eyes cannot turn in their sockets without varying our perceptions. Our thought is still more variable than our sight; and all our other senses and faculties contribute to this change: nor is there any single power of the soul, which remains unalterably the same, perhaps for one moment. The mind is a kind of theatre, where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, repass, glide away, and mingle in an infinite variety of postures and situations. There is properly no simplicity in it at one time, nor identity in different, whatever natural propension we may have to imagine that simplicity and identity. The comparison of the theatre must not mislead us. They are the successive perceptions only, that constitute the mind ; nor have we the most distant notion of the place where these scenes are represented, or of the materials of which it is composed."
~From metaphors.iath.virginia.edu/metaphors/12137
I hope this helps! :)
P.S. If you look up "The mind is a kind of theatre, where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away", there will be search results that say that the author is David Hume.
You are correct! Option c, John Locke, is the philosopher most likely to have said the following quote: "The mind is a kind of theatre, where several perceptions successively make their appearance; pass, re-pass, glide away [...] There is properly no simplicity in it at one time, nor identity in different [...]"
To arrive at this answer, you can use your knowledge of the different theories of personal identity and the philosophers associated with them. In this particular quote, the mention of perceptions and the lack of simplicity or identity align with John Locke's theory of personal identity. According to Locke, personal identity is determined by the continuity of consciousness and the memory of past experiences. He argues that the mind is a series of changing perceptions and that personal identity arises from the continuity of these perceptions and memories. Thus, his theory aligns with the quote provided.