Identity is a set of qualities and attitudes that can be attributed to any organism or thing. The concept of identity has come from ancient times and has been developed and supplemented by modern philosophers. Over time, some aspects of this phenomenon have changed. For example, the identity was compared with the term of relation. Nevertheless, the two types of this philosophical definition that have survived and which have several different interpretations concerning the approaches are a numerical and qualitative identity. Their interaction is simple at a glance, but they differ significantly, which will be presented further.
The definition of a numerical identity can be as follows: regardless of the change in the properties of any object, its number remains unchanged. Accordingly, when it comes to a qualitative identity, here different variations and varieties of the same object are meant. It is rather difficult to say which of these two types has become more widespread and popular, and a large number of approaches to study and concepts have caused the division of identity into such categories. Thus, the difference between the phenomena is evident, and the conclusion about their similarity is not justified.
It is possible to determine the relationship between numerical and qualitative identities by the example of an animal, for instance, a dog. Comparing the unique species of dogs with itself, we can talk about its numerical identity. However, if we compare the different breeds of dogs, then their qualitative identity is revealed, the degree of interspecific similarity. There are a lot of such examples. For instance, cabbage as a vegetable is a unique object, and to consider it with the help of a numerical identity means that it has no analogs. Nevertheless, there are several varieties of cabbage, and here it is a question of a qualitative identity when we compare the properties of these species. Thus, everything depends on the approach, and the difference between the two concepts is evident.