In his “An Essay on Human Intellect” John Locke discusses personal identity where he tries to show that personal identity depends on our memories. Locke also discusses some of the possible changes in our constitution that still result in the same personal identity. However, I think Locke fails to explain some aspects of memory that influence personal identity, which leads me to think that personal identity may not be what Locke proposes it to be. Locke distinguishes between three types of substances: God, finite intelligences, and bodies. God is infinite and his identity cannot be doubted, while finite intelligences have their own beginning of existence as their identity, for example souls. (Essay II.xxvii.2) By identity Locke means the ability to distinguish between things, however similar, that exist at the same time. (Essay II.xxvii.1) Bodies have the same identity as long as there is no addition or subtraction of particles of matter. (Essay II.xxvii.3) Organisms such as animals can be identified through the continued existence of the same life with changing particles of matter that are organized to meet the needs of that life. (Essay II.xxvii.5) Locke thinks that the identity of man also lies here, he states, “… the identity of the same man consists in the continuation of the same continued life… vitally organized in the same organized body.” (Essay II.xxvii.6) Locke then distinguishes between what a person is and what a man is. A person for Locke is a being who can think, is intelligent and knows that he can think, "...an intelligent thinking being, who has reason and reflection, and can consider himself..." (Essay II.xxvii.9) Personal identity, moreover, it depends on the consciousness of the past...... middle of paper ......personal identity is also not real. This leads me to think that Locke's theory does not take into account the possibility of false memories. Furthermore, we know that today our memories are not perfect, in the way I think Locke perceived them. For example, eyewitnesses are known to misremember events. Since our memories are not always perfect, perhaps personal identity depends on something else. Locke proposed great ideas regarding understanding personal identity. The notion of man and how he is different from what a person is helps to understand many scenarios such as: two people swapping bodies or a person swapping his body with an animal. Also very interesting are Locke's ideas that two souls can be the same person or one soul can be different people. However, I do not completely agree with some aspects of Locke's theory of memory.