Identifying Identity

[philmosophy]

I write fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. It's what I'm at school to do (although I've been pigeonholed into being called a poet). I'm not going to get into the logistics of "I am a writer", but let me get this straight. And I'll be a bit more specific. I am a poet. Writing exists within me despite my background. Really

Comments

[conrad_zaar]

I'm not sure I agree that the definition you cite from Webster's is essentialist. Defining identity as "the condition or fact of being some specific person or thing" seems neutral to the question of the source or nature of identity. (If it were otherwise it would not really be performing the proper task of a dictionary, which is not to explore concepts but to define words

[dwittkower]

A couple nitpicky items that will bother me if I don't mention:

It's "Malte Laurids Brigge." Also, Heraclitus made the comment about stepping into the same river twice - but it's not just because of the river. Here's one translation:

"Ποταμοῖς τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐμβαίνομέν τε καὶ οὐκ ἐμβαίνομεν, εἶμέν τε καὶ οὐκ εἶμεν."
"We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not."

I who step in the river today am not identical with the I who may step in the river tomorrow. And yet I am the same I, aren't I? Well, I at least identify myself with the I who I was, and the I who I will be. But this makes identity an action, not a fact . . . and this brings us to the philosophical notion of identity

[sophrosune16]

I agree with Wittkower, that whatever makes it, the self is social. This reminds me of our discussion the other day about language, and how the 'I' makes us responsible, in a way, makes us able to be blamed. This is understandable, as we separate ourselves from society. It seems second nature that 'I' am not a part of society but instead an individual member in society. Some cultures, some locations, some times, have seen the self as never really separate from others, a great connected mass. We obviously do not live this way today, in our culture, but there are similar thoughts in that the human is social