A Comparative Study of "Mental Continuity" and "Non-Physical Essence" Regarding Personal Identity.

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor of Theology and Philosophy of Religion Department of Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute

10.22061/orj.2023.1857

Abstract

Legal and moral responsibility as well as human immortality in life after death and its reasonableness is based on the acceptance of "personal identity". Considering the existence of various changes in human beings, it is possible to accept this "personal identity" if, a fixed truth can be discovered in humans over time on the basis of an ontological perspective. Therefore, the important question is that, considering the existence of extensive changes during human life, what criterion is acceptable for personal identity? There are different views about the criterion of "sameness". The present article, with analytical-critical method, explains and compares two important views on identity, namely "psychic continuity" or "accidental identity" and the view of "non-physical essence". Paying attention to the important challenges of each of these two views will be a serious concern of this article. Since Mr. Mulla Sadra's point of view provides a precise criterion for this essential identity and does not have the problems of views such as physical continuity (especially my broad view), by solving the challenge of summation between "this identity" and "the essential movement of the soul", this non-physical essential identity is the chosen point of view. This article counts.

Keywords

Journal of Ontological Researches
Volume 11, Issue 22
February 2023

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