Is a person who suffers from amnesia the same person they were before they experienced amnesia?

Question

In answering this question, I would like to know your opinion on the diachronic personal identity.
You may include Locke and Hume, or any other philosopher you think is essential to understanding personal identity.
My theory is that personal experience, and the memory of these experiences, form our identity.

Yes, this is preparation for an exam, but I have studied it, I am just looking for objections or agreements I might have overlooked or would want to consider.

Answer 1

The brain needs memory to re-present its sense of self at any time if a person is to continue his daily actions as a particular person from moment to moment. In the case of light amnesia, the self is re-constituted after a day or so of memory loss: this sense of the self is the successful re-building up of parts of the self into the previous whole (self). For example, a person who suffers from mild concussion quite quickly regains (so to speak) his self after some time.

In the case of acute amnesia, it is likely that some parts (i.e. memories) of the self are no longer there to help re-constitute the important component of self, or that the remaining parts no longer "help" to link up the self; or in the case of Alzheimer's Syndrome, the parts are so few that the brain can no longer connect or can connect only very weakly, or so poorly as to be of no help at all. In acute cases, the "same person" is no more present though you may have a living body right in front of you.

Most of us have the opinion that memory is something we need for remembering exam info or the birthday of the spouse or for a reporting of events in the past. This is the least important aspect of memory. The most significant function of memory is its contribution to our selfhood at every waking moment of our brief lives.

Answer 2

i'd love to discuss this stuff with you but i dont think you should post your homework. but these are great topics! good luck!