Personal Identity and the Self

"What are we? What owns our thoughts and experiences? Are we anything at all? After an introduction, Section 2 assesses a 'no-bearer' theory of experience, and the 'no-self' contention that self-representations are about no real entity, before introducing a positive hypothesis about the objects of our self-representations: the 'animalist' claim that we are biological organisms. Section 3 discusses the classic challenge to animalism that brain transplantation is something we could survive but no animal could survive. This challenge introduces positive alternatives to animalism, as well as animalist responses, including one which questions the assumption that psychology is irrelevant to organism persistence. Section 4 surveys a 'thinking parts' problem and conjoined twinning and commisurotomy, also considered problematic for animalism. The interpretation of these cases revisits questions about bearers of experience, objects of self-representation, and the relation of biology and psychology. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core"--

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. Ownership and ourselves; 3. Persistence; 4. Multiplicity; References.

Summary

This Element raises the questions What are we? What owns our thoughts and experiences? Are we anything at all? addressing the 'no-bearer' theory of experience and the 'no-self' contention. It discusses the classic challenge to animalism and thinking parts problem. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Foreword

This Element raises the questions of What are we? What owns our experiences? Are we animals? Are we nothing?

Product details

• Authors: Rory Madden, Rory (University College London) Madden
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2024
• EAN: 9781009570510
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0957051-0
• No. of pages: 88
• Series: Elements in Philosophy of Mind
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; PHILOSOPHY / Mind & Body, Philosophy of Mind, The self, ego, identity, personality, Psychology: the self, ego, identity, personality, Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology, Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology, Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge, Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge