PHL240H1 Lecture : February 8 Lecture
Document Summary
Lecture: introduction competing intuitions, what matters is something in the neighbourhood of identity, what matters is mental continuity and connectedness. Direct relations of similarity and causal dependence with each successor (connectedness) Step by step from here to there with extremely strong local connections (continuity) Identity is 1 1 and doesn"t admit of degree. 1: mental continuity and connectedness is not 1 1 and does admit of degree, either identity or mental continuity/connectedness isn"t what matters for survival. Thompson"s response this is a sound argument. 4: mental continuity/connectedness doesn"t matter for survival. Parfit"s response this is a sound argument: mental continuity/connectedness is what matters for survival, identity does not matter for survival. Lewis" response: either identity or mental continuity/connectedness isn"t what matters for survival. Where thompson and parfit reject one or another of the intuitive claims, lewis tries to ease the tension between them. The whole of a person is the sum of all the person"s parts in their existence.
