Property
A way something can exist; a quality or characteristic that allows it to resemble, be used like, or be treated like other things with that same property.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Property | A way something can exist; a quality or characteristic that allows it to resemble, be used like, or be treated like other things with that same property. |
| Accidental Property | A property that can change without changing what the thing fundamentally is. Example: An apple’s color or size. |
| Essential Property | A property that cannot change without changing what the thing fundamentally is. Example: “Being a dog” for a dog. |
| Essentialism | The belief that things have essential properties that define what they truly are. |
| Non-Essentialism (Constructivism) | The belief that things do not have fixed essences; categories and identities are socially or conceptually constructed. |
| Ship of Theseus Dilemma | A thought experiment about identity and change — if all parts of something are replaced, is it still the same thing? |
| Definition Problem | The more specific a definition is, the fewer things it applies to; the more general it is, the less meaningful it becomes. |
| Locke’s Problem of the Resurrection | Questioning how a person could be the same at resurrection if their body has completely decomposed — which properties make them the same person? |
| Soul (Locke’s View) | The essential property of a person — not a physical object, but their continuing identity or way of being. |
| The Prince and the Cobbler | Locke’s thought experiment — if a prince’s soul and memories enter a cobbler’s body, it is the same self (same memories), but not the same man (different body). |
| Psychological Continuity Theory | The idea that personal identity depends on an unbroken stream of consciousness and memory over time. |
| Memory (Locke) | The core of personal identity — only you can have your memories from your point of view. |
| Derek Parfit’s View | There is no single, continuous self; identity is an illusion created by overlapping experiences and memories. |
| Psychological Connectedness | The relationship between different “versions” of yourself across time — each moment of consciousness is new but related through shared memories and traits. |
| Consciousness (Parfit’s Analogy) | Like a computer’s operating system — every time it restarts, it’s a new instance, not the same one continuing. |