Intertemporal Identity

Notes

Claim

Same as a person is forever shaped by those around him Identity is shaped by and shapes our social interactions, so is a person not only his present self, but also his past and future self affecting him at any given moment.

Explanation

A person is not a single separated dot in time, but a connected scale Derek Parfait. same as the past continues to affect you, your perceptions, ideologies and values even when these events has past, it is also the future that constantly affects you. your hopes, goals, dreams and Expectations shape wellbeing through the gap between desires and reality are also a powerful force for change. We are never the same person across time Fixed mindset assumes capabilities are unchangeable from birth. Your wish of a potential future desired self, could be a Self fulfilling prophecy that makes real changes in the present. Even if it is not part of a conscious plan, we can be certain that we will change because with time our experiences, relationship and circumstances change, which are an integral part of our identity. The question is perhaps by how much, is that change gradual or fundemental?

Why it matters

We might also consider that a person is also the after-image that he leaves in the ones who knew/loved/left a mark at. The same as my future self can affect the present me, so my past self (after i died) can affect other people. Therefore, your true Mortality shapes meaning and motivates acceptance is only theoretic, because if you had an effect on other people, which later will effect other people, means that you have set things in motion i.e. changed the system/world in a way that will last forever Actions spread effects across people and time beyond initial cause, therefore you will never truly die. So which Clear direction matters more than speed of progress will you choose knowing that?

Examples

Supporters

Even the "past self" that supposedly shapes us isn't a fixed record - every time we reach for a memory we rewrite it a little We rewrite our memories every time we access them, so the continuity isn't between fixed points, it's a moving target reinterpreting itself as it goes.

Opposers

Open questions

Visual