PHILOS 7 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Kleenex, Personal Identity
Lecture 2/28-- Life after death?
Gretchen’s challenge
● Is it possible to survive the death of one’s body?
● Note: the question is not whether we do in fact survive the death of our bodies. The
question is whether we could.
● Is survival after death even conceivable? Can we even begin to imagine what it would be
to survive the death of one’s body?
● Gretchen’s kleenex box example
○ It is physically destroyed, but then it is there again?
Identity
● Numerical versus qualitative identity:
○ A and B are qualitatively identical if they share exactly the same properties (they
are “exactly similar” or “indiscernible”)
○ A and B are numerically identical if they are one and the same object (A=B)
○ Kleenex box example would be qualitatively identical but not numerical, because
they are indiscernible
○ Superman and Clark Kent are numerically identical
Qualitative identity
● Qualitatively identical objects don’t need to share all the same properties. They only
need to share their intrinsic properties
○ One piece of chalk is in the right hand and the other is in the left (extrinsic- in
relation to other things)
● Must share all intrinsic properties but not all extrinsic properties
Leibniz’s Law
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Note: the question is not whether we do in fact survive the death of our bodies. A and b are qualitatively identical if they share exactly the same properties (they are exactly similar or indiscernible ) A and b are numerically identical if they are one and the same object (a=b) Kleenex box example would be qualitatively identical but not numerical, because they are indiscernible. Superman and clark kent are numerically identical. Qualitatively identical objects don"t need to share all the same properties. They only need to share their intrinsic properties. One piece of chalk is in the right hand and the other is in the left (extrinsic- in relation to other things) Must share all intrinsic properties but not all extrinsic properties. Leibniz"s law says that, if a and b are identical, then they must share all the same properties. Leibniz"s law concerns numerical, not qualitative, identity.
