Ownership And Self Identity Essay

486 Words2 Pages

In the world around us today, most are consumed by the idea’s of drugs, sex, and money. Most tend to judge others based on what they have instead of who they are. Ownership and self-identity could relate to each other based on the fact that people can possess things physically, mentally, and emotionally. Though with similarities, the two can be different. Ownership is the act or right of possessing something, and your self-identity is the recognition of your own potential and qualities. Both are integrated together, going hand in hand because someone can own more than just a physical object. Twentieth-century philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once proposed that ownership is beyond objects and that it includes untouchable things as well. This idea could include intangible things such as …show more content…

Unlike Aristotle, Plato argues that owning objects can cause harm to a person’s character. Nowadays, in today’s society, image is everything and social classes are based on how much you own and identity is based on image. At the end of the day, object’s can be taken away from you, and can be harmful when someone becomes too interested in what others think and try to keep up the image that is created by others. As for Aristotle, tangible items have the ability to help develop character. This could go for people who have more of a religious faith. For example, there was a point in my life that I was very religious and I would have a cross with me. The cross would serve its purpose to identify myself as a Christian. The relationship between ownership and self-identity are both very related, but they both can be two different things in different scenarios. Both animate and inanimate objects, such as ideas and thoughts, have the ability to create identities for others. In all, others could have their ideas of who you are based on what you own, but at the end of the day, it will always be