| Unit name | Personal Identity |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL10022 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Finn Spicer |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
You are identical with a little boy or girl who lived more than a decade ago. In virtue of what does this relation obtain? This unit will consider some of the most influential answers to this question, as well as some ethical and practical consequences of these answers. This will involve considerations from metaphysics, logic, ethics, and the philosophy of mind.
One classical view says that personal identity is a matter of a shared immaterial soul. Other views based personal identity instead on psychological or bodily continuity. Some philosophers even deny that personal identity is a very important relation, arguing that we have no more reason to care about our future selves than about many other human beings (present and future).
