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. 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. These are merely two different descriptions of the very same course of. But for those planning to read parfits masterwork of moral philosophy, i would like to offer two words of warning. Jan 24, 2017 parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984. On what matters by derek parfit issue 87 philosophy now. In derek parfits original formulation the repugnant conclusion is stated as follows. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential moral philosophers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. A critical notice of derek parfit, on what matters. Department of economies, alfred marshall building, 40 berkely square, bristol bs8 1hy. Derek parfit discussing personal identity in the documentary brainspotting duration. Very few works in the subject can compare with parfit s in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning.
This weeks reapp session 10 th nov offered the chance to discuss derek parfits classic paper, equality and priority. He has written two books, both of which have been called the most important works to be written. Reasons and persons is a 1984 book by the philosopher derek parfit, in which the author discusses ethics, rationality and personal identity. In reasons and persons, parfit suggested that nonreligious ethics is a young and fertile field of inquiry. Derek parfit 1942 2017 jeff mcmahan says farewell to a friend. I knew about this book through the comments i read. 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. 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. Parfit held that conventional philosophical notions regarding the. It is often rational to act against our own best interersts, he argues, and most of us have moral views that are selfdefeating.
I develop parfits argument so that it works against the platitude on the intended reading. Part one discusses some ways in which theories about morality and rationality can be self. 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. 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. Ebook derek parfit libro electronico descargar pdf serie. 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. Sep 09, 2012 second talk on parfit for sju ol philosophy of death. Intergenerational justice and personal identity utrecht university.
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. 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. Derek parfit was a british professor of philosophy at oxford university specializing in personal identity, rationality, ethics, and the relations between them. Derek parfit s reasons and persons is considered a must read in contemporary ethics. These are merely two different descriptions of the very same course of events. 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. Reasons and persons is divided into four sections, of which i think the 3rd and 4th are the most fun and interesting. The book is entitled reasons and persons because parfit holds that in various ways our reasons for acting should become more impersonal. 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. The unimportance of being any future person springerlink. Very few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. At the time, parfit was preparing the manuscript of reasons and persons for the printer.
Second talk on parfit for sju ol philosophy of death. On what matters by derek parfit james alexander ponders derek parfits new work. Darren mckee on reasons and persons by derek parfit. 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. The claim that persons are their brains was strongly rejected in reasons and persons for reasons that supported a central argument of that book.
This involved a certain amount of anxiety, but the enormous intellectual labor that had consumed him. Derek parfit i cannot see how to disprove this first belief. 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. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfits 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of twentiethcentury philosophy. What makes someones life go best university of colorado boulder.
Reasons and motivation derek parfit and john broome i. 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. Many of his peers considered him the most important moral philosopher of the 20th and early. Published 1984 by clarendon press in oxford oxfordshire. I am interested to the third part of the book because it is about personal identity. This book challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. Traffic in ideas is bumperto bumper, routes merge into each other with little prior notification, the inter. 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. When we ima gine ourselves in a problem case, we do feel that the question would it be me.
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. Pdf derek parfit reasons and persons juliana chumak. On a stronger version of this view, if some act is our duty, that makes it what we have most reason to do. This disagreement raises wider questions about what normative reasons are, and about which reasons there are. Reasons and motivation derek parfit and john broome iderek. This brings us to the second major line of argument in his new book. Parfit is thought by many to be the most original moral philosopher in the englishspeaking world. Buy reasons and persons oxford paperbacks by parfit, derek isbn. We usually start these interviews by asking our interviewees samething about what turned their interests towards philoso phy.
We might suggest that one cause of the belief is the projection of our emotions. Though we can have normative reasons without being motivated, and vice versa, such reasons are closely related to our motivation. 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. Parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984, when. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this reasons and persons study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. If there are no rational beings elsewhere, it may depend on us and our successors whether it will all be. Many of his peers considered him the most important moral philosopher of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Parfit continues his investigation combining both psychological and physical spectrum in. Pdf this paper reevaluates derek parfits attack on the commonly held view that personal. It is the longawaited followup to derek parfit s 1984 book reasons and persons, one of the landmarks of twentiethcentury philosophy.
About the author derek parfit is a research fellow at all souls college. Reasons and persons challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. Derek parfit, personal identity what is the most neutral way to describe what happens in parfit s case of fission. Like what now matters most is that we avoid ending human history. 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. The text is thought to be read together with the text of parfit, otherwise it may result obscure in some parts.
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. Brad hooker on derek parfits philosophical legacy reapp. The text is thought to be read together with the text of parfit, otherwise it may result obscure in some. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons part. The welfare economics of the future general guide to personal. 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. Commentary about derek parfits book reasons and persons part three personal identity iacopo vettori. There are, however, very different views about what this relation is. Wachsberg,williamewald,galenstrawson,gordoncornwall,richardsikora,parthadasgupta,dr. I should subtract from my share any reduction that my joining causes in the. Parfit argues that the question is irrelevant these are not here two different possibilities, one of which must be true. Parfits book reasons and persons part three, personal identity. 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.
The repugnant conclusion stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The first two systematically showing that ethical egoism and commonsense intuitions about morality are incoherent and that consequentialism solve. The history workshop was a movement of radical social historians which flourished in britain in the 1960s and 70s. I have a physical copy which i havent read but skimming it, im not sure it will make the best audiobook. Moral action should aim to benefit the aggregate of people rather than specific people.
Kieran setiya, times literary supplementvery few works in the subject can compare with parfits in scope, fertility, imaginative resource, and cogency of reasoning. Derek parfit, who died unexpectedly on the second day of the new year, was one of the most important philosophers of the past half century and, in the view of many, the single best moral philosopher in more than a century. The author claims that we have a false view of our own nature. On what matters is a major work in moral philosophy.
Traversing reasons and persons is the philosophical analog of a drive along the southern california freeway system. At this stage, parfit had already spent over 10 years at all souls. Its effect is to give me two bodies and a divided mind. Ozzie gooen on reasons and persons by derek parfit. 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. This disagreement raises wider questions about what normative reasons are, and about which. Parfits first book, reasons and persons, was published in 1984. 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. Quiz 4 parfit identity problem learn with flashcards, games, and more for free.
It is divided into four parts, dedicated to selfdefeating theories, rationality and time, personal identity and responsibility toward future generations. 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. The philosopher derek parfit believes that neither of the people is you, but. The attendant tells me that 1 am one of the first people to use the.
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