The assignment is to write a paper summarizing and exploring an objection to Locke’s account of personal identity in Book II, Chapter xxvii of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Specifically, your paper should do A, B, and C:
(A) Summarize Locke’s account of personal identity in your own words. (~50% of length)
In your summary, make sure you explain clearly: (i) precisely which question Locke is attempting to answer by providing his account of personal identity, (ii) precisely what Locke’s position is on that question, and (iii) how Locke argues for this position. You may wish to explain Locke’s view of personal identity in contrast to his view of the identity conditions of both living bodies and immaterial substances, but you should keep the focus on personal identity. Your summary should respect the principle of charity.
(B) Put forward the most persuasive objection to Locke’s account that you can come up with. (~25% of length)
A persuasive objection is one that will tend to persuade a rational person thinking clearly about these matters, and who may not share your assumptions. (In order to be persuasive in this sense, your objection should not depend on, e.g., religious assumptions that may not be common ground with your audience.) Your objection should be one that would tend to give a reasonable person strong reason to doubt that Locke’s account of personal identity is correct. In this section, you should make clear precisely what your objection is, and you should make the case for this objection by arguing that it shows that Locke’s account is wrong.
(C) Assess how Locke’s account fares in light of the objection. (~25% of length)
Now that you’ve set out and argued for the objection, step back and consider how Locke (or a proponent of his view) might reply to the objection in order to defend Locke’s account of personal identity. Strive to articulate, on behalf of Locke’s position, the most persuasive rebuttal that can be given to the objection. Finally, arrive at your own ultimate assessment of how Locke’s account fares in light of the objection: Does Locke’s account succeed in resisting the objection, or does the objection defeat Locke’s account? You should reach a definite conclusion one way or the other, and you should provide clear and persuasive reasons why your conclusion is the right conclusion to draw.
At the very top of your paper, include a separate paragraph labelled “Thesis: […]” in which you clearly state the thesis of your paper. Your thesis will be about whether or not Locke’s account of personal identity ultimately withstands the objection you put forward in (B). Since what your thesis is will depend on the conclusion you eventually reach in part (C), it is recommended that you write the entire paper first, and formulate your thesis as the last step. Your thesis paragraph should be very brief, about two sentences. Since you will introduce your paper using the thesis statement, you do not need (and therefore shouldn’t include) a separate introduction. Your paper does not need a separate conclusion either, since the task for part (C) already serves this purpose.
Approximately 50% of the length of your paper should be devoted to your summary (A)—about 2 pages. Approximately 25% of the length of your paper should be devoted to your objection (B), and 25% to your assessment (C)—that is, (B) and (C) should each be be about a page in length.
Please include a separate works cited page. Normally, this will only include one entry: Locke’s Essay. Your works cited page should make it clear which edition of Locke’s Essay you are using (you should not cite the Bennett edition as your primary source, since there the text is abridged as well as ‘translated’ into contemporary English, and so is not in Locke’s own words). In-text citations should refer to passages in Locke’s Essay by Book, Chapter, and Section, e.g.: Book 2, Chapter 27, Section 4 will be: “II.xxvii.4”.
Use your own words throughout. Direct quotations should be used only if you need to comment on the author’s choice of words.
Evaluation Criteria
Paper marks will be assessed holistically, according roughly equal weight to each of these 4 components:
(1) Presentation (how literate, clear, and well-organized the paper is)
For example:
(i) are sentences written clearly, with reasonable grammar, punctuation, and phrasing?
(ii) is the paper written so the reader can tell what the author is saying, without ambiguity?
(iii) is the paper well-organized under a coherent plan, with a clearly-defined focus, and with parts appropriately arranged and connected?
(2) Understanding (how well the paper reflects understanding of relevant philosophical content)
For example:
(i) is the paper appropriately informed by the relevant readings?
(ii) does the paper show a good understanding of its sources, including their relevance?
(iii) does the paper accurately interpret what others have argued?
(3) Persuasiveness (the strength of the argument developed in the paper)
For example:
(i) is the paper’s argument well-supported and free of gaps, errors, and fallacies?
(ii) does the paper identify and address obvious objections, rather than ignoring them?
(iii) does the paper connect ideas in a way that is relevant to its aims, so that the argument provided truly supports the author’s position?
(4) Independence (the extent to which the paper shows critical thought and/or originality)
For example:
(i) does the author do a good job of thinking through the issues for themselves?
(ii) are the points put forward in the paper interesting, rather than being obvious?
(iii) to what extent does the paper go beyond simply restating what others have said?
(iv) does the paper combine and synthesize ideas in interesting or insightful ways?