Preserving Identity

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 1: Employ sound logic in philosophical reasoning.
Defend logically this position on the integration of personal identity in social life.
Competency 4: Interpret human behavior in philosophical terms.
Describe the variety of social roles which a single individual may occupy in practical life.
Construct a clear position on the integration of personal identity in social life.
Explain how this view of personal identity fits within a more general account of human nature.
Competency 7: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
Use proper APA style and formatting to write effectively.
For the assignment, you are writing an essay. Begin your essay with a thorough description of yourself. What features, activities, and relationships are crucial elements of your existence as a person? Try to include a sampling of all of the different kinds of things without which you could not continue to be who you are.

Now, what is it that holds all of these disparate elements together to form a single individual? Construct a view of personal identity that explains how you create and preserve a unique personality that persists through all of the experiences in a lifetime. Use philosophical reasoning to defend your position as a coherent and practical view of our lives, showing how it compares with alternative notions.

Finally, explain how your position on personal identity fits with a more general account of human nature. Make sure that what you say about this issue is consistent with your resolution of the mind-body problem and your beliefs about the possibility of life after death.

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th ed.) style and formatting standards.
Length of paper: Approximately 1,000 words, typed and double-spaced in Microsoft Word.
Number of resources: No external resources are required, but if you employ any, be sure to include appropriate citations and references for your sources.
Font and font size: Arial, 12-point.
Review the Preserving Identity Scoring Guide to understand how your assignment will be graded.

Prior to submitting your paper to the instructor, submit your work to Smarthinking for review and feedback from an online tutor. Once you have done this and made any necessary revisions, submit your paper as an attachment in the assignment area.