The Traditional Western view of the enduring self is a view tied to ancient roots and the complexity of human beings. The Traditional Western view was given its name because it has influenced Western thinkers since ancient times. The Traditional Western view “holds that humans have a rational spiritual self, this self is distinct from its body, has a purpose, endures over time, and exists as a separate individual” (Velasquez 59). The enduring self is what Traditional Western thinkers believe is inside every human being: a soul. The “soul is the self, the ‘me’ who lives inside my body” (Velasquez 111). This tries to explain that the soul inside each human being stays the same, as long as the soul remains in the body.