Identity

Hi, I observed in lot of books and articles, the phrase "Who am I?". My question is why we need to know this answer and what is the starting step? with best regards, vikram

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Philosophers have tended to think this question (who am I?) is pretty foundational, because it seems that some kind of answer is necessary in the course of addressing such questions as: what should I do with my life? What can I know about the universe or God or right and wrong? What sort of political form of government should I support? Where did I come from? Do I owe any obligations to my parents or society or the state or the religion in which I was raised? Am I a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic......or some combination? What can or should I hope for in life or (if there is one) a next life? One of the earliest philosophers in the west, Socrates, is said to have claimed that the unexamined life is not worth living. Whether he was right or not, it seems that without some self-examination (what do I really desire? what sort of a person am I? do I actually care about others or am I faking it?), it is very difficult to grow, to love others (if I do not know who I am, how do I know whether I love someone else?) or to dedicate your life to some great value (justice, compassion, and more).

Personally, I am on the Socratic side in this matter, but one might also worry that the question "Who am I?" is pretty individualistic, and so it might be good to balance with a question like "Who are we?" and then think who is included in the "we."

As for first steps in addressing the question of personal identity: I would recommend something Augustine (5th century) thought, and that is, your identity is partly a matter of what you love and desire. So, one thing to ask yourself is: what or whom do you love and why? The object of your love may be a person or a community or family or yourself or an ideal or God or... Augustine thought that you need to begin with some kind of self-knowledge and then find a community of fellow inquirers who welcome the practice of philosophy -- a community which genuinely seeks to love wisdom. Such a community might even suggest that the first question of the greatest importance is: What is wisdom? For a great beginning book in philosophy I recommend a classic, The Story of Philosophy by William Durrant. It is hardly ever used today, and is flawed in this or that way, but it is a narrative history of philosophy that is exciting, written with passion, and will take you on a journey through lots of different philosophical ideas about wisdom.

Good wishes, Vikram! Charles

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