Consciousness and Personal Identity. An Investigation

Seth Carter

Aug 2017 · GRIN Verlag

About this ebook

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Philosophy - Practical (Ethics, Aesthetics, Culture, Nature, Right, ...), grade: 3.34, Indiana University (College of Arts and Sciences - Philosophy Department), course: PHIL-P300 Philosophical Writing Methods, language: English, abstract: The Philosophy of Personal Identity which bears a rich tradition dating back to some of the seminal psychological theory of identity forwarded by John Locke. In this essay, I propose a new variation of an imperfect psychological criterion of personal identity that attempts to precisely answer the question, "What is necessary and sufficient for a person to be the same person over time?" Though various experts in this field such as Derek Parfit have forwarded skepticism and outright rejection of conventional theories of personal identity, this paper appeals to metaphysical notions of immanent causality in an effort to respond to Parfit and formulate a framework of identity that explains and satisfies what are often closely held intuitions on personhood.

About the author

I'm an undergraduate student at Indiana University studying Philosophy and Economics and currently working for the Institute of Ideas in London, England under director Claire Fox.