entity if and only if they have the same soul. The problem with this theory is arrived from the definition of a soul. Soul is a very difficult term. It is thought by many to be a spirit that passes from your body into another realm (i.e., heaven, hell, etc.). However, since no one has ever seen, felt, touched, smelled, or tasted a soul, it is a mysterious phenomenon. Since we have no clear and distinct idea of a soul , it would not be wise to base the definition upon it. For instance, some religions believe in reincarnation after death. This is when a soul enters another body. With this in mind, someone’’s soul such as Elvis could become reincarnated in someone else named John. However, we would not say that this Elvis and John are the same person . Therefore, the definition of the soul theory fails in that the definiens does not become sufficient for defining personal identity. The most recognized true philosophical theory of personal identity is the consciousness theory. The consciousness theory is believed by most to be the best definition of personal identity according to most philosophers. However, there are three different versions of the consciousness theory that will be discussed in further detail: the conscious self, experiential content, and connected stream of consciousness theories. First, we have the theory of a conscious self: a person has a personal identity if he or she has the same conscious self. In other words, if two people have a different conscious, then they each have personal identity. At a first glance, this would be a good definition of a personal identity. It is analogous to Descartes’’ cogito, "I think therefore I am." Being conscious would mean knowing that one exists, and able to think about any experience that happens. However the main fault with this is that it is a circular definition. We are using the definiens in the definiendum which is not a good tactic of defining personal id...
