here is a tradition in philosophy that makes our memories the core of our personal being, essential to what we are, and the basis of our personal identity over time. This stems from John Locke’s discussion in (first published in 1689), and his famous thought experiment where a prince and a poor cobbler wake up with memories exchanged. According to Locke, if the cobbler (who now has the prince’s memories) had committed a crime, we should hold the person with the prince’s body (and the cobbler’s memories) responsible, and vice versa. For Locke, memories and memory continuity make us who we are, and it is only a contingent fact that our memories are usually tied to
