Marya Schechtman’s Psychological View of Personal Identity

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Marya Schechtman’s Personal Identity
Part 1
The problem of personal identity has gained immense attention as a topic of discussion in contemporary philosophy. Understanding whether and how changes over time affect personal identity has become essential in philosophical discussions. One scholar who has contributed to these discussions is Marya Schechtman. In her Experience, Agency, and Personal Identity essay, she explores personal identity by viewing persons as unified agents (Schechtman 2). Specifically, Schechtman focuses on the psychological view of personal identity. The psychological view posits that what makes a person at one time the same person at another time is a psychological continuity that encompasses links of memories, emotions, and desires, among others.
Schechtman argues that while both the unity of consciousness and the unity of agency are independent, they are also intertwined and interdependent (5). This interdependence allows for both perspectives to be integrated so that personal identity can be explained and understood as a product of both the continuing subject of consciousness experience and unified agency. To support her thesis, Schechtman explores personal identity from the perspective of the unity of consciousness. Here, she analyzes the work of Peter Unger, who argues that to understand personal identity, it is essential to first understand the underlying “connection between different moments of a person’s life” (14). This argument indicates that there is a need for a deeper connection to the future for survival. This connection to the future occurs through the unity of an experiencing subject of consciousness over time. Schechtman explores the argument against the unity of an experiencing subject perspective, focusing on Derek Parfit. Parfit argues that the definition of personal identity in terms of the unity of an experiencing subject cannot be defended (16). As such, the unity of a subject’s experiences does not fully or satisfactorily define personal identity.
Schechtman then proceeds to explore the unity of agency to further support her thesis. She analyzes the works of John Perry, Carol Rovane, and Christine Korsgaard. Her analysis reveals that the unity of agency is paramount to personal identity. This view supports the idea that personal identity is about an individual’s decisions, intentions, plans, and goals (4).
She then explores an argument against the unity of agency based on the work of Albert Camus, who argues that there must be meaning for life to be worth living (41). His argument brings back the consciousness-based approach by revealing that the unity of agency fails to explain continuity and survival over time. To arrive at her thesis, she explores the arguments for and against each view and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each view. This process allows her to provide a convincing reason as to why both these views are essential in the definition of personal identity and why, albeit being separate, they need to be integrated.
Part 2
Schechtman’s argument is developed in such a way that it addresses the weaknesses and problems presented by other arguments ...