As a fierce empiricist, Hume believes that all knowledge is acquired from experiences.

In the

dilemma of personal identity. Hume proposes a theory called "The bundle theory of self." In

this theory, he states that we are "Nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions,

which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in perpetual flux." We have

these many impressions, according to Hume. For example I have impression of myself talking in

front of you, and I have a very different impression of myself an hour ago. The problem here is

that we try to connect these little moments and come up with a fallacious conclusion that this is

identity.

According to Hume, we misconstrued diversity with identity. Diversity is a distinct idea of

several objects existing in succession and connected together by a close relation. If identity is a

definite idea of an object that remains invariable and uninterrupted tho' a suppose'd variation

of time, then these impressions that we try to connect and call our identity is not an identity.

Even tho we try to examine our experiences. According to him, we can never perfectly examine

the content of our experiences. Hume divides the mind's perception into two groups. The

impression and the idea. Impressions are the perceptions that are most strong — directly

experienced. Ideas are copies of impression, in result they are less lively for example when

you're eating an apple, or eating a banana it is more vivid than merely imagining it what you

know are mere objects of what your senses are experiencing. "I never can catch myself at any

time without a perception, and never can observe anything but the perception," which means

that nowhere among those perceptions is the sensation of a constant and invariable self that

exists as a unified identity throughout our lives. Thus there is no logical justification of its
existence. That's why Hume doesn't believe in the existence of "the self." which means that the

self is just fictitious product of our imagination

David Hume

Scottish philosopher

Nerd

Cheerful
Fierce opponent of descartes’ rationalism

Rationalism - reason rather than experience, is the foundation of all knowledge

Empiricism – the origin of all knowledge is sense experience

Born on a Christian family – prayers and sermons were prominent aspect of his home life

Public intellectual – someone who make his money selling books to the general public

“There seemed to be opened up to me a new Scene of thought”

“To throw up every other pleasure or business to apply entirely to it.”

Treaties and e

Who is david hume

how he started making philosophical thought

bundle theory

what makes you the same over time?

No one characteristics which does

Physical characteristics and mental properties changes overtime

The self

Simply bundle of experiences and perceptions

Made up of parts

None are perfectly identical to personal identity

You cannot be explained simply in physical or mental properties

No underlying person beneath all of this

PERSONAL IDENTITY

REMAIN IN THE SAME BODY FROM BIRTH TO DEATH

YOUR PHYSICAL BODY IS CONSTANTLY REMODELLED

ENGLISH MORAL PHILOSPEHER

BERNARD WILLIAMS

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT TO CONSIDER WHERE WE THINK OUR PERSONAL IDENTITY RESIDES

PARFITS THEORY

Personhood

Made up of mental and physical

Building
David hume

What makes you the same overtime?

BUNDLE THEORY

The “self” is a bundle or a collection of different perceptions that is in a perpetual flux.

Denies Descartes’ view of the immaterial soul (The self is constant)

There is no You that is the same person from birth to death

Self - illusion

MIND’S PERCEPTION

Impressions

-Inputs form sense and feelings

-enters senses with most force

-direct experience

ideas

-recollection

-weaker

-less forcible and less lively counterpart of impression

We cannot give in to the account the transient feelings, sensation, and impression

Moral philosophy
what makes you the same overtime?

Well according to Hume's philosophy, there is no such characteristic that makes you the same overtime.

If having a certain identity means possessing the same set of properties, then how could anyone really
maintain the same identity from one moment to the next?

Clearly the 5 years old you is not the same with the present you

Thus hume’s propose the Bundle theory of the self

In this theory hume describes The “self” as a bundle or a collection of different perceptions that is in a
perpetual flux.

We are just a bundle of experiences

That’s why we are not the same as before because we acquire new sets of properties and new sets of
experiences.

For example you've seen a long-time friend that you've never seen for decades, how would you start the
conversation?

well normally, we will ask how are they, what happened to them, we ask questions to re-acquaint
ourselves with the new her/him.