If we were identical to our cerebrums, parfits main argument against the selfinterest theory would be undercut in the same way that it would be if we were identical to our whole brains. But for those planning to read parfits masterwork of moral philosophy, i would like to offer two words of warning. On what matters by derek parfit issue 87 philosophy now. A defense of scientific theism, as its title suggests, attempts to present a version of theism in which appeal to the. In reasons and persons derek parfit is more emphatic than nagel that.
Early buddhism on reasons and persons with jake davis, ph. The book is entitled reasons and persons because parfit holds that in various ways our reasons for acting should become more impersonal. Causing people to exist and saving peoples lives rutgers. Derek parfit, divided minds and the nature of persons, 1987. Wachsberg,williamewald,galenstrawson,gordoncornwall,richardsikora,parthadasgupta,dr. Dive deep into derek parfits reasons and persons with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. On what matters by derek parfit james alexander ponders derek parfits new work. Pdf in this book parfit attempts to develop a rational, nonreligious ethics. Derek parfit presents the third volume of on what matters, his landmark work of moral philosophy. Parfit held that conventional philosophical notions regarding the. The history workshop was a movement of radical social historians which flourished in britain in the 1960s and 70s. Parfit develops further his influential treatment of reasons, normativity, the meaning of moral discourse, and the status of morality. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfits 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of.
Ozzie gooen on reasons and persons by derek parfit. Part two discusses the relations between what a single person can rationally want or do. An introduction and critical inquiry is an outstanding introduction to and assessment of parfits book, with chapters by leading scholars of ethics, metaphysics and of parfits work. Kieran setiya, times literary supplementvery few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. Parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It doesnt matter that the original derek parfit ceased to exist, because being the same person that is, personal identity is not what matters. Reasons and persons is unquestionably one of the most important philosophical works of the 20th century, although its conspicuous absence from bookstore shelves might suggest otherwise. Parfits solution to the dilemma of the double transplant is. Derek parfit 11 december 1942 1 january 2017 was a british philosopher who specialised in problems of personal identity, rationality, ethics, and the relations among them. Suppose that whatever one does a new person will come into existence. Such theories give us certain aims, but also tell us to act in ways that frustrate these aims.
He engages with his critics, and shows the way to resolution of their differences. Parfits reasons and persons 1984 will be remembered as one of the great philosophical works of the twentieth century it was the splitbrain cases which drew me into philosophy. He asked questions about which actions are right or wrong and shied away from metaethics, which focuses more on logic and language in part i of reasons and persons parfit discussed selfdefeating moral theories, namely the selfinterest theory of rationality and two ethical frameworks. The text is thought to be read together with the text of parfit, otherwise it may result obscure in some. The philosopher derek parfit believes that neither of the people is you, but. Derek parfit has attempted to provide such an account in reasons and persons, where he argues for what he calls the reductionist view of persons and personal identity and then attempts to show how such a conception provides a metaphysical background that lends important partial support to utilitarianism. Conditional reasons and the procreation asymmetry v. This class will be a guided exploration of the problem of personal identity. In this first volume parfit presents a powerful new treatment of reasons and rationality, and a critical examination of three systematic moral theories kants ethics, contractualism, and consequentialism. Parfit d and vesey g 1974 brain transplants and personal identity.
Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons. Library of congress cataloging in publication data. It is often rational to act against our own best interersts, he argues, and most of us have moral views that are selfdefeating. Part one discusses some ways in which theories about morality and rationality can be self. By derek parfit this spring derek parfit is visiting profssor of philosophy at harvard university, where he is teaching recent ethical theory with t. Forrest refers toparfit in relation to ethics, but he does not specifically address how parfit. On what matters derek parfit oxford university press. If these theories are revised, these objections can be partly met. Publication date 1986 topics ethics, rationalism, self publisher oxford. In reasons and persons, parfits clipped prose, with its repetitive sentences, poetic cadence and sly humour becomes the vehicle for a depth and range of insight rarely matched in recent philosophy. A critical notice of derek parfit, on what matters. In derek parfits original formulation the repugnant conclusion is stated as follows.
I am a reasonable person, so dont be afraid to ask for an extension if you truly need one. In the first volume of on what matters, derek parfit defends a. Its goal was to promote history from below to tell the stories of those left out of conventional narratives, and, at the same time, to open. Parfit contends that we have no good reasons to believe. The repugnant conclusion stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Parfit, derek, divided minds and the nature of persons, colin blakemore and susan.
Close to a work of genius, reads one of the blurbs on the back cover and, for once, it is not an exaggeration. In reasons and persons, parfit suggested that nonreligious ethics is a young and fertile field of inquiry. Reasons and persons is a 1984 book by the philosopher derek parfit, in which the author discusses ethics, rationality and personal identity. On what matters is a twovolume book of moral philosophy by derek parfit published in 2011. Prisoners dilemmas psychological connectedness psychological continuity psychological criterion pure dogooders question reasons for acting reductionist view reject relation replica repugnant conclusion resulting person revised stheorist selfdefeating selfinterest theory. Parfit presents a powerful new treatment of reasons, rationality, and normativity, and a critical examination of three systematic moral theories kants ethics, contractualism, and consequentialism leading to his own groundbreaking synthetic conclusion.
Profssor parfit is a fellow of all souls college, oxford he is the author of reasons and. It is divided into four parts, dedicated to selfdefeating theories, rationality and time, personal identity and responsibility toward future generations. In derek parfit publication of parfits first book, reasons and persons 1984, created a sensation among englishspeaking academic philosophers, who were impressed by its originality, its intricate and ingenious argument, its immense fertility, and its panoramic scope. This brings us to the second major line of argument in his new book. I have argued elsewhere that in practice it is unlikely that there are any. Parfit and persons peter forrest in his recent book god without the supernatural. P39 1984 170 83159 isbn 9780198249085 pbk to my parents. In his recent work, parfit returns to the examination of the nonidentity problem, but this time not in the context of a theory of value but as part of a scanlonian theory of reasons for action. Pdf derek parfit reasons and persons juliana chumak. Many of his peers considered him the most important moral philosopher of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Derek parfit, born december 11, 1942, chengdu, chinadied january 1, 2017, london, england, english philosopher whose work in normative ethics and metaethics, personal identity, and the theory of practical reason was widely influential in the englishspeaking world from the 1980s. His thought experiments are delightfully inventive. This volume is partly about what it is for things to matter, in the sense that we.
Darren mckee on reasons and persons by derek parfit. Reasons and persons download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Read online derek parfit reasons and persons derek parfit reasons and persons derek parfit reasons and persons reasons and persons challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. The claim that persons are their brains was strongly rejected in reasons and persons for reasons that supported a central argument of that book. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons part three personal identity iacopo vettori. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfits 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of twentiethcentury philosophy. In his older book reasons and persons 1986, parfit claimed that humanity has only begun to take ethical problems seriously in the last century or so, since the abandonment of theology. Jessie and norman parjit and my sisters theodora and joanna printed in great britain on acidfree paper by cpi antony rowe, chippenham, wiltshire. For stylistic reasons, i will continue to use the former locution. This book challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. All parfits arguments in part three of reasons and persons tend to the conclusion that 3. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read reasons and persons. Challenging, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity, parfit claims that we have a false view about our own nature.
Conditional reasons and the procreation asymmetry v10. On what matters is a major work in moral philosophy. Brought to you by the hebrew university of jerusalem. Lemke new orleans baptist theological seminary for the baptist association of philosophy teachers 1997 biennial meeting at samford university. The idea that meditation leads to the realization that there is no self, and that this realization motivates selfless action for the welfare of all beings, is widely understood to be a central feature of buddhist doctrine. Reasons and persons derek parfit very few works in the subject can compare with parfit s in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. About the author derek parfit is a research fellow at all souls college. Parfit what matters pdf from a series of three tanner lectures that parfit delivered at the university. Very few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. After surveying the implications of parfits central argument about personal identity to forrests scientific theism, this paper will evaluate the contributions of parfit and forrest. Derek parfits reasons and persons not only defends a reductionist theory of persons and their identity over time specifically, a variety of psychological conti. Reasons and persons kindle edition by parfit, derek. For any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much larger imaginable population whose existence, if other things are equal, would be better even though its members have lives that are barely worth living parfit 1984.
1490 785 279 452 902 823 949 545 568 1251 1257 58 125 1455 124 334 1488 1416 1168 1612 720 196 1217 224 1471 811 1369 1104 1323