Parfit: Reasons and Persons
Chapter 10:
(What we believe ourselves to be)
“Explain Parfitts view that this wa [d ing with a replica on Mars] is as good as ordinar
survival?”
Parfit distinguishes beteeen syshohogogioag oonneotedness (haiing direot syshohogogioag
oonneotions) and syshohogogioag oontinuith (oiergasysying ohains of strong oonneotedness).
He argues that:
1. Connectedness is more important.
2. Connectedness is a mater of degree
3. Personal Identtt is a transitie relaton strong connectedness is not a transitve relaton
(most of us are stronglt connected to ourselies testerdat but it doesn’t follow that we’re
stronglt connected to ourselies as we were 10 tears ago)
4. Parfit on a ‘narrowt ps chological criterion: A person contnues to exist if there is pstchological
contnuitt, which has a normal cause and has not taken a branching form
Parfit adopts a reduotionist iiee a person is not some separate enttt (like a Cartesian Ego)
but each person’s existence just involves the existence of a brain and bod
There is NO “deep further fact concerning personal identtty
Parfit oomsyares syersons to ogubs
1. Suppose a club exists, holds regular meetngs, for ‘x’ tears before disbanding
2. Suppose that tears later some of the original members form a new club with the same name and
same rules
3. Is it the same club or another club?
4. Is there an answer to that queston?
5. Does it mater if there isn’t?
There mah be no anseer that is T/F but ehat seems more imsyortant is that there is nothing that
ee do not knoe, so the question ‘is it the same ogub?’ is emsyth
SIMILARLY
‘If ee are Reduotionists about syersonag identith…if I knee the faots about both syhhsioag oontinuith
and syshohogogioag oonneotedness, I eougd knoe eierhthing there eas to knoe’
Parfit ogaims:
Personal identtt is NT what maters
What maters is Relaton R pstchological connectedness through tme proiided it does not
take a branching form, with the right kind of cause
The right kind of cause could be ant cause
So, if Regation R is ehat maters then “I shougd regard this eah of dhing as being about as good as
ordinarh suriiiag” (tege transsyorter – I die but the ‘me’ on Mars giies)
Chapter 10:
(What we believe ourselves to be)
“Explain Parfitts view that this wa [d ing with a replica on Mars] is as good as ordinar
survival?”
Parfit distinguishes beteeen syshohogogioag oonneotedness (haiing direot syshohogogioag
oonneotions) and syshohogogioag oontinuith (oiergasysying ohains of strong oonneotedness).
He argues that:
1. Connectedness is more important.
2. Connectedness is a mater of degree
3. Personal Identtt is a transitie relaton strong connectedness is not a transitve relaton
(most of us are stronglt connected to ourselies testerdat but it doesn’t follow that we’re
stronglt connected to ourselies as we were 10 tears ago)
4. Parfit on a ‘narrowt ps chological criterion: A person contnues to exist if there is pstchological
contnuitt, which has a normal cause and has not taken a branching form
Parfit adopts a reduotionist iiee a person is not some separate enttt (like a Cartesian Ego)
but each person’s existence just involves the existence of a brain and bod
There is NO “deep further fact concerning personal identtty
Parfit oomsyares syersons to ogubs
1. Suppose a club exists, holds regular meetngs, for ‘x’ tears before disbanding
2. Suppose that tears later some of the original members form a new club with the same name and
same rules
3. Is it the same club or another club?
4. Is there an answer to that queston?
5. Does it mater if there isn’t?
There mah be no anseer that is T/F but ehat seems more imsyortant is that there is nothing that
ee do not knoe, so the question ‘is it the same ogub?’ is emsyth
SIMILARLY
‘If ee are Reduotionists about syersonag identith…if I knee the faots about both syhhsioag oontinuith
and syshohogogioag oonneotedness, I eougd knoe eierhthing there eas to knoe’
Parfit ogaims:
Personal identtt is NT what maters
What maters is Relaton R pstchological connectedness through tme proiided it does not
take a branching form, with the right kind of cause
The right kind of cause could be ant cause
So, if Regation R is ehat maters then “I shougd regard this eah of dhing as being about as good as
ordinarh suriiiag” (tege transsyorter – I die but the ‘me’ on Mars giies)
