Identity

The topic of Identity was suggested by JP. 

Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time.^[1][2] Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time can be said to be the same person, persisting through time.

There are many lenses to look through when contemplating one’s identity. Logically, identity is you. If you were to find a way to identify someone, you’d take a look at their DNA. I mean, DNA is supposed to be unique right? But Identity is much more than how one is identified. 

In philosophy, the problem of personal identity^[3] is concerned with how one is able to identify a single person over a time interval, dealing with such questions as, “What makes it true that a person at one time is the same thing as a person at another time?” or “What kinds of things are we persons?”

The concept of one’s identity is much more existential than someone’s unique serial number. Our identity is defined by us at the time. Who are are we as a person? How many different versions of us exist and have existed in our lives so far? How do we and have we existed in the lives of others?

When you put the timescale into perspective, most of us have been in our careers (let alone companies) longer than we were in University. When I think about some of my longest standing friendships, they’ve been made at work. But I’ve changed a lot through my career and the roles I’ve held. I’d like to believe that overall I’m still the same person, but like anyone, my personality and identity ebbs and flows over time. 

At breakfast June 1st 2022 I’d like to discuss the following questions:

1. How would you identify yourself as a person?
   1. How have you changed in the past five years and who do you expect to be in the next five years?
   2. What about your personal identity has changed and what has remained constant over time?
2. How do the different people in your life identify you?
   1. Do you maintain the same identity across your entire life or do different groups of people identify you differently?
3. How are you perceived by people you don’t know personally?
   1. Does this perception change over time?