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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page essay that discusses the philosophical debate of what constitutes "personal identity." The writer lays out the parameters of this debate, which includes the Reductionist position, represented by Parfit, and the Non-Reductionist argument, which is the stance of Swinburne. Then, the writer argues that Swinburne ahs the stronger argument. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khswin.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
This colloquialism alludes to an issue that has long fascinated philosophers, namely, what--precisely--constitutes personal identity. What is it that makes a person, the same person over time (Perrett 373). Modern
day Western philosophers have tended to frame this question in terms of a "quest for the unity relation of persons," that is, to describe the relation between "person-stages" occurring at
different times (Perrett 373). In regards to this, there are a variety of theories addressing the issue of personal identity that fall into two general categories, which Perrett terms
"Reductionist" and "Non-reductionist" (373). A principal proponent of the Reductionist camp is Derek Parfit. Representing the opposing camp is the work of Richard Swinburne. The following examination of Swinburnes
essay "Personal Identity" shows how this work lays out the parameters for this debate among contemporary philosophers on the issue of personal identity, and also how Swinburnes argument against Parfits
position is the more persuasive, despite Parfits popularity of the moment. Swinburne begins his comments on personal identity by providing his rationale for writing on this topic, which
is that much of what has been written concerning personal identity has produced "fundamentally misleading solutions," which he attributes to confusion over two principal issues (p. 231). While Swinburnes explanation
of these issues is apt, Olson provides an explanation that is easier to comprehend for the average reader. Swinburnes first issue is persistence. As Olson points out, you can
point to a picture of a girl in a photograph and say that the image is you. But "What makes you that one--rather than, say, one of the others?" (Olson).
The answer to this question outlines the factors that account for persistence of identity over time, which is a "constitutive," rather than an "evidential" criterion (Olson). Swinburne points out that
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