Thomas Reid and John Locke: Identifying a Person Essay

Reid’s story

Many philosophers have contributed immensely to philosophy. However, most of them tend to have disagreements among themselves. The best examples of philosophers with differences between themselves are Thomas Reid and John Locke. This is evidenced by the “brave officer story” narrated by Reid. In his narration, Reid picked on three characters; a schoolboy, an officer, and a general. Reid linked the three characters by a period. At first, he narrated how a schoolboy was flogged because of mischief. He then advanced his story by explaining how an officer had stolen a flag from one of his enemies. In concluding his story, Reid explained how an officer had been promoted regardless of undergoing flogging and taking part in stealing an enemy’s flag.

Explanation of Reid’s story

From Reid’s story, there is a great possibility that the general is the same officer that was involved in taking a standard from an enemy. This is because both the general and the officer share the same thoughts about their past experiences. From the flow of the story, it is also possible that the young officer is the same boy that was flogged while in school. This is evidenced by the relation of consciousness of the young officer’s experience to that of the schoolboy. However, there is a possibility that the general may be different from the schoolboy. This is because of their inconsistency in the consciousness of their past experiences.

There is also a great possibility for the general being the same boy that was flogged in school. This is because involvement in many activities in the world may lead to an individual forgetting some special life experiences. Thus, there is a great possibility for the general to have forgotten his experience as a kid due to workloads and too much involvement in his career.

Problems Reid’s story posses to Locke’s theory

According to John Locke, conscious memories play significant roles in helping individuals identify themselves. He defines a person as a being conscious of his thoughts. Thus, according to Locke, personal identity is the ability of an individual to use his or her consciousness in reflecting on the past and relating it to the current events. However, in narrating his story, Reid diverts slightly from the continuous reflection of the past. In his story, Reid also explains how the general was unable to reflect on the flogging experience while at school. The inconsistency between the general and the schoolboy about their experience leads to the disqualification of Locke’s theory. Thus, it is evident that Locke’s principle of “transitivity of Identity” does not apply in all philosophical fields.

Ways that Locke can use in describing Reid’s story

According to Locke, a person is a being with not only thinking potential but also the ability to reason and reflect on the past. He also describes a person as a living creature that has the potential of identifying itself easily regardless of place or time. Through this, Locke can easily solve the problem created by Reid’s story. For instance, he can argue that the general is the same boy that was flogged while in school. This is evidenced by the ability of both the officer and the general to reflect on their past. In the story, the general remembers the incident of taking a standard against his enemy while working as an officer. To support his argument further, Locke can explain how the young officer easily recalled his flogging incidence while at school. Brave people are often associated with successful activities. Additionally, Locke may argue that the general’s ego could not have allowed him to accept his past life as a student because brave people do not like to associate themselves with negative challenges.

Locke may also argue that there is no association between the general and the schoolboy. This is evidenced in his argument concerning consciousness. According to him, consciousness aids significantly in defining an individual. Consciousness can be used in reflecting the past; it can be used in digging the past of an individual. According to Locke, the last past action that consciousness can dig defines the history of an individual. In narrating his story, Reid portrays the inability of the general. The general lacked the information concerning his past as a boy. Thus, in Reid’s story, the general cannot be the same boy that was punished in school. This is evidenced by the inability of the general to remember his past events when he was a boy. In addition, Locke may support himself by crafting two individuals; an officer and a general. This is because there is a possibility of the existence of two people who might have involved themselves in stealing enemies’ flags and then worked as officers. Of the two officers, one of them might be the boy that was flogged while at school. On the other hand, the other officer might have been promoted from a young officer to a general without undergoing punishment while in school.

Conclusion

In conclusion, consciousness plays a significant role in identifying a person. It provides an individual with the ability to reflect on the past. How he or she is thought to be. Thus, an individual must accommodate any type of reasoning.