“Hobbes, Locke, and the Ship of Theseus"
Abstract: According to Locke, in order to judge identity “aright, we must determine what Idea the Word it is applied to stands for: It being one thing to be the same Substance, another the same Man, and a third the same Person.” Hobbes writes, “we must consider by what name any thing is called, when we enquire concerning the Identity of it; for it is one thing to ask concerning Socrates whether he be the same Man, and another to ask whether he be the same Body.” I want to draw out the influence of Hobbes’s account of identity in de Corpore on Locke’s theory of identity in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and compare them on some details. In particular, I want to explain Hobbes’s treatment of the Ship of Theseus, and explain how Locke’s comparison of the principles of identity for animals and artifacts implies a different answer to the puzzle. I’ll draw some lessons about the right way to handle such questions.
Mike Jacovides is a Professor at Purdue University.