Description
What are we? What does it take for one of us to survive from one time to another? Are we material things?Ìý Are we brains, animals, souls, computer programs, or something else?Ìý How do we relate to our bodies? This module addresses questions of personal identity. While some seminal early modern texts will be highlighted, such as Locke’s Essay, we will primarily scrutinize relevant theories and arguments from recent analytic metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.
Background reading for Week 1
•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Locke, J., 1975, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, P. Nidditch (ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press.Ìý (II.xxvii) ‘Of Identity and Diversity’
Further reading
•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Snowdon, P. 1990 ‘Persons, Animals and Ourselves’ in The Person and the Human Mind: Issues in Ancient and Modern Philosophy, C. Gill (ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 83–107. Reprinted in Crane and Farkas (eds.) 2004 Metaphysics: A Guide and Anthology
•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Olson, E. 1997 The Human Animal New York: Oxford University Press
•ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌýParfit, D. 2012 ‘We Are Not Human Beings’ in Philosophy 87: 5–28
•ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Campbell, T. and J. McMahan, 2017 ‘Animalism and the Varieties of Conjoined Twinning’ in S. Blatti and P. Snowdon (eds.) Essays on Animalism: Persons, Animals, and Identity, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Philosophy Area A
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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