Parfit is thought by many to be the most original moral philosopher in the englishspeaking world. I have a physical copy which i havent read but skimming it, im not sure it will make the best audiobook. This disagreement raises wider questions about what normative reasons are, and about which. The text is thought to be read together with the text of parfit, otherwise it may result obscure in some parts. Derek parfit 1942 2017 jeff mcmahan says farewell to a friend.
Pdf derek parfit reasons and persons juliana chumak. On what matters is a major work in moral philosophy. Derek parfits argument against the platitude that identity is what matters in survival does not work given his intended reading of the platitude, namely, that what matters in survival to some future time is being identical with someone who is alive at that time. This book challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. These are merely two different descriptions of the very same course of. Buy reasons and persons oxford paperbacks by parfit, derek isbn. 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. At the time, parfit was preparing the manuscript of reasons and persons for the printer. 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. 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. Reasons and persons is divided into four sections, of which i think the 3rd and 4th are the most fun and interesting. Parfit held that conventional philosophical notions regarding the. Traffic in ideas is bumperto bumper, routes merge into each other with little prior notification, the inter.
Derek parfit, personal identity what is the most neutral way to describe what happens in parfits case of fission. It is divided into four parts, dedicated to selfdefeating theories, rationality and time, personal identity and responsibility toward future generations. There are, however, very different views about what this relation is. If there are no rational beings elsewhere, it may depend on us and our successors whether it will all be. These are merely two different descriptions of the very same course of events. I knew about this book through the comments i read. On what matters by derek parfit james alexander ponders derek parfits new work. A critical notice of derek parfit, on what matters. About the author derek parfit is a research fellow at all souls college. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfits 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of twentiethcentury philosophy. Part one discusses some ways in which theories about morality and rationality can be self. The welfare economics of the future general guide to personal. Many of his peers considered him the most important moral philosopher of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Parfits book reasons and persons part three, personal identity. Ozzie gooen on reasons and persons by derek parfit. 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. 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. Derek parfit was a british professor of philosophy at oxford university specializing in personal identity, rationality, ethics, and the relations between them.
Derek parfit, a british philosopher whose writing on personal identity, the nature of reasons and the objectivity of morality reestablished ethics as. Traversing reasons and persons is the philosophical analog of a drive along the southern california freeway system. Intergenerational justice and personal identity utrecht university. Its effect is to give me two bodies and a divided mind. But for those planning to read parfits masterwork of moral philosophy, i would like to offer two words of warning.
The main challenge which parfit presented in his celebrated work reasons and persons is to develop a theory of beneficencetheory x he calls itwhich is able to solve the nonidentity problem, which does not lead to the repugnant conclusion and which thus manages to block the mere addition paradox, without facing other unacceptable. I should subtract from my share any reduction that my joining causes in the. The book is entitled reasons and persons because parfit holds that in various ways our reasons for acting should become more impersonal. Jan 24, 2017 parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984. An interview with derek parfit derek parfit is a fellow of all souls college, oxford, and author of the controversial and widely acclaimed book reasons and persons.
Parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984. The unimportance of being any future person springerlink. 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. Ebook derek parfit libro electronico descargar pdf serie. Many of his peers considered him the most important moral philosopher of the 20th and early.
Though we can have normative reasons without being motivated, and vice versa, such reasons are closely related to our motivation. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfit s 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of twentiethcentury philosophy. Parfit continues his investigation combining both psychological and physical spectrum in. Reasons and persons is a 1984 book by the philosopher derek parfit, in which the author discusses ethics, rationality and personal identity. Quiz 4 parfit identity problem learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. The philosopher derek parfit believes that neither of the people is you, but. Sep 09, 2012 second talk on parfit for sju ol philosophy of death. The text is thought to be read together with the text of parfit, otherwise it may result obscure in some.
Derek parfit discussing personal identity in the documentary brainspotting duration. Reasons and persons challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. 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. The claim that persons are their brains was strongly rejected in reasons and persons for reasons that supported a central argument of that book. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this reasons and persons study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. I am interested to the third part of the book because it is about personal identity. He has written two books, both of which have been called the most important works to be written. Jan 04, 2017 derek parfit, a british philosopher whose writing on personal identity, the nature of reasons and the objectivity of morality reestablished ethics as a central concern for contemporary thinkers.
Very few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons part. 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. In reasons and persons, parfit suggested that nonreligious ethics is a young and fertile field of inquiry. 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. 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. Derek parfit i cannot see how to disprove this first belief. 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. Parfit argues that the question is irrelevant these are not here two different possibilities, one of which must be true. The history workshop was a movement of radical social historians which flourished in britain in the 1960s and 70s. The first two systematically showing that ethical egoism and commonsense intuitions about morality are incoherent and that consequentialism solve all the problems these two bases of morality contain.
Reasons and persons is a 1984 book by the philosopher derek parfit, in which the author discusses ethics, rationality and personal identity it is divided into four parts, dedicated to selfdefeating theories, rationality and time, personal identity and responsibility toward future generations. Pdf this paper reevaluates derek parfits attack on the commonly held view that personal. Derek parfit, philosopher who explored identity and moral. Derek parfit s reasons and persons is considered a must read in contemporary ethics. Suffice to say, if you wanted to be taken seriously in moral philosophy, it seems like you had to be familiar with parfits reasons and persons. Darren mckee on reasons and persons by derek parfit. Derek parfit, 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. We might suggest that one cause of the belief is the projection of our emotions. The repugnant conclusion stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The problem is that it is basically only accessible for those who are already experienced with ethics, and particularly the dense work of many of his predecessors, particularly henry sidgwick, to whom parfit is often compared on the dust jacket. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons part three personal identity iacopo vettori. In a new paper, we are not human beings, derek parfit argues that persons are identically their conscious, thinking parts, which he identifies as their cerebrums this is a significant departure from the position he defended in reasons and persons, that personal identity consists in nonbranching psychological continuity and connectedness with any cause.
On what matters by derek parfit issue 87 philosophy now. The attendant tells me that 1 am one of the first people to use the. What makes someones life go best university of colorado boulder. Published 1984 by clarendon press in oxford oxfordshire. Very few works in the subject can compare with parfit s in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. On a stronger version of this view, if some act is our duty, that makes it what we have most reason to do. A special thanks is owed to jamie draper for introducing the paper and leading the discussion, but thanks also to everyone else who attended and who helped make the meeting such an interesting one. The first two systematically showing that ethical egoism and commonsense intuitions about morality are incoherent and that consequentialism solve. Kieran setiya, times literary supplementvery few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential moral philosophers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Derek parfit, personal identity what is the most neutral way to describe what happens in parfit s case of fission. This brings us to the second major line of argument in his new book. I develop parfits argument so that it works against the platitude on the intended reading.
Reasons and motivation derek parfit and john broome iderek. It is often rational to act against our own best interersts, he argues, and most of us have moral views that are selfdefeating. The author claims that we have a false view of our own nature. This weeks reapp session 10 th nov offered the chance to discuss derek parfits classic paper, equality and priority. Parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984, when. This disagreement raises wider questions about what normative reasons are, and about which reasons there are. In derek parfits original formulation the repugnant conclusion is stated as follows. Wachsberg,williamewald,galenstrawson,gordoncornwall,richardsikora,parthadasgupta,dr. Like what now matters most is that we avoid ending human history. Reasons and motivation derek parfit and john broome i. 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. We usually start these interviews by asking our interviewees samething about what turned their interests towards philoso phy.
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