Identity

Who are you? Better yet, who am I? There’s the straightforward answer, the one that shows the tip of the iceberg: I’m Hector Björklund, a 23-year-old student currently serving as the Chair of the Board of KY. Then there’s the vast, deep part of the iceberg that lies beneath sea level, defining what rests above and keeping the iceberg stable. This part forms the foundation of who I am and what makes me me . Let’s dive from our ship deep beyond the surface, delving into the unknown regions of the mind.

I’ve had the privilege of travelling the world and seeing many places. When I was eight years old, my family moved to China, where I picked up both English and Mandarin as strong languages that I’ve maintained since. Communicating with others has always been important to me, so I’ve actively strived to learn new languages, seeing them as bridges between people and their ideas. Through languages and a natural curiosity, I’ve ventured around the world and learned to love experiencing different cultures. Therefore, a large part of the identity I conceive for myself is being part of a larger, worldwide community. But for now, let’s return to the Hectorian writing style familiar from earlier issues (Time and Space).

Logically speaking, identity refers to the likeness of something to itself. But what is something? Thomas Aquinas’s ontological view of the world, combining Aristotelian metaphysics with Christian theology, forms a binaristic system for defining what something is – hylomorphism. The doctrine that every physical thing is a compound of materia and forma. Through these two intrinsic principles, we derive substantia. Matter, the underlying potentiality for being, is just the atoms bonded together. Form, on the other hand, is what gives the matter its structure or identity. Together, they form what something inherently is.

Let us delve into a thought experiment. Suppose we have a magical machine — a 3D printer — that can scan your body atom by atom, reproducing a perfect copy of you by bonding atoms together at quantum scales. We now have you, and we have this set of atoms, structured in a way that perfectly resembles you. Let’s call this structure Velo. Since Velo is built exactly like you, atom by atom, is Velo you? E converso, are you Velo? In one sense, yes – Velo is you through materia, but not through forma. You know that Velo has been created (which is one differentiating factor between you both); hence, through the law of identity, Velo is materially identical to you, but not formally so. Therefore, using Aquinas’s view of hylomorphism, we can confidently state that Velo is not you. You have a name. You have memories, experiences, and a sense of self. Other people know you as you . That is what makes your identity – what makes you unique.

What one is and what one feels oneself to be are two different things (see paragraph on hylomorphism). It’s unavoidable to be affected by other people in who one is and how one feels oneself to be. The trick is to find equilibrium to express yourself freely while being positively influenced by those around you. True identity lies not in isolation, but in dynamic balance.

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Stay tuned for the final piece of the puzzle, in the next spring’s Kylteri issue: Continuity.