The Human Animal: Personal Identity without PsychologyMost philosophers writing about personal identity in recent years claim that what it takes for us to persist through time is a matter of psychology. In this groundbreaking new book, Eric Olson argues that such approaches face daunting problems, and he defends in their place a radically non-psychological account of personal identity. He defines human beings as biological organisms, and claims that no psychological relation is either sufficient or necessary for an organism to persist. Rejecting several famous thought experiments dealing with personal identity, he instead argues that one could survive the destruction of all of one's psychological contents and capabilities as long as the human organism remains alive. |
Contents
3 | |
1 Psychology and Personal Identity | 7 |
2 Persistence | 22 |
3 Why We Need Not Accept the Psychological Approach | 42 |
4 Was I Ever a Fetus? | 73 |
5 Are People Animals? | 94 |
6 The Biological Approach | 124 |
7 Alternatives | 154 |
Notes | 169 |
179 | |
187 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
alive animal's Approach is true argue argument atoms become Biological Approach biologically continuous Bodily Criterion brainless brainstem Brainy cease to exist cells cerebral hemispheres cerebrum Chapter claim Cobbler corpse criterion of identity destroyed duplicate embryo entails example fact fetus fission happens head hemisphere hemispherectomy human animal human body human organism human vegetable infant Inwagen least Lefty Lefty and Righty life-sustaining functions living organism Lockean Account locomotor material object matter mental capacities mental contents mental features metabolism metaphysical moral move numerical identity numerically different ontology of temporal ovum Parfit particles Paul Brophy perhaps persistence conditions persistent vegetative personal identity personhood philosophers physical Prince Prince's actions proach properties proprioceptive prudential concern psycho Psychological Ap Psychological Approach psychological features psychological relation psychologically continuous question rational and conscious reason result seems sense simply someone sort substance concept suppose survive takes thing Tim tomorrow tion Tom's Transplant Intuition Unger virtue Wiggins