As persons, we are importantly different from all other creatures in the
universe. But in what, exactly, does this difference consist? What kinds
of entities are we, and what makes each of us the same person today that
we were yesterday? Could we survive having all of our memories erased
and replaced with false ones? What about if our bodies were destroyed
and our brains were transplanted into android bodies, or if instead our
minds were simply uploaded to computers?
In this engaging and accessible introduction to these important
philosophical questions, Amy Kind brings together three different areas
of research: the nature of personhood, theories of personal identity
over time, and the constitution of self-identity. Surveying the key
contemporary theories in the philosophical literature, Kind analyzes and
assesses their strengths and weaknesses. As she shows, our intuitions on
these issues often pull us in different directions, making it difficult
to develop an adequate general theory. Throughout her discussion, Kind
seamlessly interweaves a vast array of up-to-date examples drawn from
both real life and popular fiction, all of which greatly help to
elucidate this central topic in metaphysics.
A perfect text for readers coming to these issues for the first time,
Persons and Personal Identity engages with some of the deepest and most
important questions about human nature and our place in the world,
making it a vital resource for students and researchers alike.
