PARFIT

WHO THINKS THAT THERE IS NO

SELF?

Derek Parfit (born 1942)

Split Brain Argument

[Split Brains: A Primer]

Michael Gazzaniga’s (b1939) findings…

The Social Brain (Gazzaniga1987)

Gazzaniga does newresearch on the split-brain patients of his(teacher and ? ) colleagueRoger Sperry

Nobel 1981(1913 – 1994)

Rodolfo Llinas

Columbian

Neurosurgeon

Philosopher of

mind

Book:

The I of the Vortex

Split Brain

Split Brain

Split Brain Argument (373)

Premise 1. Surgical separation of brain lobes yields 2 streams of consciousness.

Premise 2. There are three possibilities:

2, 1, or 0 persons.

Parfit to argues for 0 person theory.

Person Theory

Two Person Theories

[Parfit does not consider all theories]:

Ego (Cartesian)

Bundle (Hume) = no self

Parfit argues for Bundle theory:

a no self/ego/person theory.

Buddha

[Parfit’s argumentam ad verecundiam?]Buddha says

Self is “only a conventional name given to a set of elements.”

Analogue: carriage. [Cf. computer, plant, animal]

Parfit: “Most of us therefore…have false beliefs about ourselves.” (375)

Teletransportation Arguments

Point: to reveal our false beliefs. (375-7)

Case: original brain and body destroyed, and perfect replica made.

Range: different proportions of cells in brain and body replaced.

Variant: original is not destroyed, and replica still made.

Teletransportation Arguments

ARGUMENT (375-6): [cf: Lycan’s “Henrietta”]i) Variant case shows result of 100% replacement

is not you.ii) If only 1% of cells replaced, then the result is you.iii) Assume result either is you or is not.

[identity is all-or-none]iv) It is “implausible” that a precise percentage

maintains identity.SO: There is no such thing as

personal identity.

Club Analogy Argument (376)

Personal identity is like

[is analogous to] club identity.

But: there are no criteria for

club identity.

SO: there are no criteria for

personal identity

Parfit’s take on teletransportation

“You do not merely want there to be psychological continuity between you and some future person. You want to be this future person. On the bundle theory there is no such special further fact…judged from the standpoint of your natural beliefs, even ordinary survival is about as bad as teletransportation.”

Parfit’s Reflections

“Ordinary survival is about as bad as being destroyed and having a replica.” (377)

Parfit’s Solution/Theory (377-8):

Unification of

streams of consciousness is real,

but ego is not.