Self-Identity from the Perspective of the Body

One of the persistent puzzles of philosophy concerns our self-identity. We assume that we persist in time as the same self. Yet, what is the basis for this view? As Hume asks, “from what impression could this idea be derived?” “There is,” he remarks, “no impression constant and invariable” that we can point to. Yet, if the persisting self distinguishes itself from the changing contents of our consciousness, how can we grasp it? Faced with such difficulties, it seems natural to turn to the body as the anchor of our self-identity. Our embodiment persists through our changing perceptions. It is a subject, in the sense of being, through its sense organs, a place of appearing. Yet the body is, itself, directly experienced by us. With it, we encounter something that is both subjective and objective. Does my body, in its persistence of being my body, solve the problem of self-identity? In this article, I explore this possibility by examining the body’s role in our sense of possessing a unique identity. I also detail the consequences of our body’s being both a subject and an object in our attempts to grasp who and what we are.