Introduction

Introduction

Let’s be real—asking “Who am I?” isn’t just some abstract, late-night-thought spiral (though it definitely can be). It’s actually one of the biggest questions philosophy deals with. When we start thinking about identity and the self, we’re really asking: What makes me me? Is it my thoughts, my memories, my personality? My body? Or maybe it’s something else entirely—like a soul, or just the fact that I’m aware of myself thinking? And what about time? Am I the same person I was five years ago? If I’ve changed my mind about major life choices, let go of old habits, or even forgotten big chunks of my past, am I still “me”? These kinds of questions don’t just get us thinking about our inner lives—they also make us look outward. How much of who I am is shaped by the world around me? My relationships, my culture, the environment I live in—do those things make me who I am, or just influence me? And what happens to my sense of self if those things change? Thinking about the self also leads into some big-picture, ethical stuff: if I’m connected to the world—if who I am is tied up in other people, communities, even the planet—then what do I owe to them? How should I live, knowing I’m not just an isolated individual, but part of something bigger? These aren’t easy questions, but they’re definitely real ones. And whether we’re figuring out who we want to be, how we want to show up for others, or where we belong in the world, philosophy gives us the space to wrestle with it all.

Welcome to one of philosophy’s most fascinating (and honestly, most relatable) questions: Who am I and What is the relationship between the self and the world? These are questions that span ancient and modern thought, touching everything from metaphysics to ethics to environmentalism. In this chapter, we’ll explore how different thinkers—from classical philosophers to contemporary theorists—have tried to make sense of who we are, how we change, and how we connect to the world around us.

We’ll begin with Plato’s idea that the soul is like a city, with different parts that must be in balance. He links personal justice with social harmony: if you want a just society, you need just individuals. Aristotle follows with his theory of friendship as a mirror of the self—a powerful idea that we come to know ourselves through our relationships. Then Confucius takes us into the world of ritual and self-cultivation, showing how identity is formed not in isolation, but through practice, discipline, and social roles.

But then things start to shift. Locke tells us that personal identity is tied to memory—you’re the same person over time because you remember being yourself. But Hume pushes back, saying, actually, when you look inside for a stable “self,” you only find a swirling bundle of impressions. There is no unchanging “I”—just a stream of experiences we stitch together with memory and habit.

From there, we move into more contemporary terrain. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson challenges us to think about how identity forms in relation to social structures like disability, gender, and academic life. Her piece reminds us that the self is not just discovered—it’s constructed, often in response to the world’s assumptions.

And what about the world itself? Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic asks us to imagine ourselves as members of an ecological community, where our moral duties extend beyond humans to the land, the water, and all living things. Finally, Justin Morris’s “Queer Earth Mothering” explodes traditional ideas of care, gender, and family—showing us that identity and responsibility aren’t about biology or convention, but about how we show up for others and the planet. 

Each of these thinkers gives us a different lens through which to explore the self—and together, they offer a fuller picture: one where the self is never just a solitary “I,” but always in relation: to our memories, to other people, to the earth, and to the communities we choose to build.

So as you read, keep asking: Who am I? How do I relate to others? And what kind of world do I want to be part of creating?