Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Philosophers Index Abstract

1. Has Derek Parfit modified his views on personal identity in light of Quassim Cassam's neo-Kantian argument that to experience the world as objective, we must think of ourselves as enduring subjects of experience? Both parties suggest there is no longer a serious dispute between them.
2. I retrace the path that led to this truce, and contend that the debate remains open. Parfit¹'s recent work reveals a re-formulation of his ostensibly abandoned claim that there could be impersonal descriptions of reality.
3. I show why Parfit² still needs this claim, and how it conflicts with the neo-Kantian view.