Some Findings On The Relationship Between Identity And Nature Of A Person

Abstract

The problem of personal identity is fundamentally different from that of identity of objects in that persons are thinking intelligent beings endowed with the power of self- reflection. ‘Person’ may refer to a human or a biological organism (third person) or a psychological entity (first person). In this article I argue that the relation between nature and identity of a person is a two way relationship: in case of third-personsidentity follows from nature and in case of first person (i.e. myself) identity precedes nature.The nature of a person is a crucial decisive factor only for identification of ‘other’ or third-persons.A person’s knowledge of his own identity may be corroborated by evidences of various types; however, it may not be determined by any criterion.