Locke thinks that if my soul is the same as the soul of Socrates, I am the same person as Socrates.

Question

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We are given a true/false statement about Locke's view on personal identity and the sameness of souls.

Option A: True. If you interpret the statement as claiming that Locke equates being the same person with having the same soul as another person (e.g., Socrates) without regard to memory or consciousness, this would misstate Locke's position. Locke famously argues that personal identity is not determined by the sameness of substance (or soul) but by continuity of consciousness and memory. Therefore, asserting that having the same soul makes you the same person conflicts with his memory-based criterion, making the claim false rather than true.

Option B: False. The intended reading aligns with Locke’s actual theory: personal identity over time is grounded in the continuity of consciousness, i.e., memory, rather than in the sameness of soul or body. Locke would say that even if two beings shared the same immaterial substance or soul, identity as the same person would require a continuity of memory and the ability to recall past actions and experiences. Since the statement reduces identity to the sameness of soul, it contradicts his position, so the statement is false.

Note on the missing answer options: The provided data does not include explicit answer choices to analyze individually. In this evaluation, we consider the standard true/false framing and apply Locke's theory to determine that the claim about soul-sameness determining personal identity does not capture his memory-based account. The core misconception is equating identity with substance (soul) rather than with mental continuity (memory).

PHL210Y5 Y LEC0101 quiz 13

Locke thinks that if my soul is the same as the soul of Socrates, I am the same person as Socrates.

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