Locke’s theory of self-ownership continues to inform how individuals in modern societies perceive themselves as capable of choosing and acting freely and independently, motivated by their own intentions.
However, as a scholar of 18th-century British literature and culture, I am aware that some of Locke’s contemporaries challenged his portrayal of the fixed and ownable self, arguing that individuals are made up of constantly moving atoms and therefore fluid and prone to being transformed.
This idea, which came from the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, may prove valuable and persuasive as societies struggle to recover from the devastation of COVID-19.