Personal Identity
Blackwell Readings in Philosophy
1. Edition November 2002
408 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Personal Identity brings together the most important
readings on personal identity theory.
* * Brings together 13 of the most important readings on personal
identity theory.
* Includes a detailed introductory historical essay, tracing the
origins of personal identity theory.
* Features essays by David Lewis, Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit,
and Robert Nozick.
* Describes the revolutionary shift from the "internal relations"
view of personal identity to the "external relations" view.
* Includes a discussion on the controversial topic of
animalism.
* Collectively offers a comprehensive introduction to the
field.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction: Personal Identity & What Matters in Survival:
A Historical Overview: Raymond Martin (University of Maryland at
College Park) and John Barresi (Dalhousie University).
1. The Self and the Future: Bernard Williams (All Souls, Oxford
University).
2. Personal Identity through Time: Robert Nozick (Harvard
University).
3. Why Our Identity is Not What Matters: Derek Parfit (All
Souls, Oxford University).
4. Survival and Identity and Postscripts: David Lewis (Princeton
University).
5. Personal Identity and the Unity of Agency: A Kantian Response
to Parfit: Christine Korsgaard (Harvard University).
6. Fission and the Focus of One's Life: Peter Unger (New York
University).
7. Surviving Matters: Ernest Sosa (Brown University).
8. Fission Rejuvenation: Raymond Martin (University of Maryland,
College Park).
9. Empathic Access: The Missing Ingredient in Personal Identity:
Marya Schechtman (University of Illinois at Chicago).
10. Human Concerns Without Superlative Selves: Mark Johnston
(Princeton University).
11. The Unimportance of Identity: Derek Parfit (All Souls,
Oxford University).
12. An Argument for Animalism: Eric Olson (Churchill College,
Cambridge University).
13. The Self: Galen Strawson (Jesus College, Oxford
University).
Books on Personal Identity since 1970.
Index.
generations of debate concerning the problem of personal identity.
Does identity matter as much as survival? Is survival based on
psychological continuity or on the animal body? Does the self last
through a lifetime, or for much shorter periods of time? Should
ethical issues about personhood constrain our metaphysical
conceptions of the person? The editors provide a historical
framework that places all of these questions in clear
perspective.' Shaun Gallagher, Canisius College, Buffalo,
New York
'A balanced and stimulating anthology, capped by a
valuable historical survey of the issues. It's a natural for either
primary or secondary class readings.' Stephen Braude,
University of Maryland Baltimore County
'This volume is a balanced collection of important
contemporary essays on personal identity. The editors'
detailed historical overview provides a useful context for the
essays. Overall, the book will be an excellent text for graduate
and upper-level undergraduate courses, as well as a convenient
resource for professional philosophers.' Lynne Rudder
Baker, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Philosophy Department at Union College. He previously taught at the
University of Maryland, College Park where he is now Emeritus
Professor. His books include The Past Within Us (1989) and
Self-Concern: An Experiential Approach to What Matters in
Survival (1998).
John Barresi is Professor of Psychology at Dalhousie
University. In collaboration with Raymond Martin, he has
co-authored Naturalization of the Soul: Self and Personal
Identity in the Eighteenth Century (2000).
