The problem of personal identity is a crucial one in western thought, which has confronted philosophers for years. The problem is how to define a person and in what consists the personal identity. In modem times Locke maintained that it is the consciousness that constitutes personal identity. In recent times thinkers like Derek Parfit presented a view about personal identity that our consciousness of ourselves as persons in itself is a mistake. We are not persons at all. The person is constructed out of what is impersonal. This is called reductionism, which I want to examine.
