Locke on Persons as Agents

Anik Waldow (University of Sydney), Anik Waldow

Abstract: According to the majority view about Locke’s view of the self, the self is subjectively constituted. Without the intention to challenge any particular one of these readings, the paper queries the idea that nothing other than the “subjective” determines the self. More specifically, I claim that self-constitution happens as part of a wider set of considerations about the normative dimension of what should figure in the conception of the self. Given that this normative question has to be addressed in relation to publicly observable actions, it turns out that Locke’s concept of personhood depends in important aspects on what we do, rather than simply on who we think we are.