Reference

David Hume and Heraclitus both explored the concept of change, albeit in different philosophical contexts. Hume's approach to personal identity and Heraclitus's thoughts on change share underlying similarities.

Heraclitus famously posited that everything is in a state of constant flux ("panta rhei") and asserted that one cannot step into the same river twice because both the person and the river are continually changing. This illustrates the transient nature of existence and identity.

Hume extended this notion of change into his analysis of personal identity. He argued that there is no permanent "self" that remains constant over time. Instead, what we perceive as personal identity is merely a bundle of different perceptions and experiences. According to Hume, our mind is in a state of constant change, with thoughts, feelings, and sensory experiences flowing continuously and never remaining the same.

Thus, Hume's idea of personal identity aligns with Heraclitus's view of perpetual change by rejecting the notion of a fixed, unchanging self. For Hume, personal identity is an illusion created by the continuous flow of different experiences and impressions over time.

For further reading, you can refer to detailed analyses available on Heraclitus's Wikipedia page and Hume's work on personal identity at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.