Theo Todman's Web Page - Paper Abstracts

Write-up₁ (as at 06/07/2023 00:43:12): Biological Criterion

Plug Note²

• Thesis Text:
  1. Biological Criteria are the criteria of identity³ associated with the biological view⁴ of what we⁵ human beings⁶ are.
  2. Animalism⁷ takes this biological view, that we are human animals⁸ (as distinct from persons⁹, or immaterial souls¹⁰). So, our persistence criteria are those of animals¹¹.
  3. What should be discussed here is just what these criteria are.
  4. Biological identity criteria in general are slightly wider than those of animals in particular, as they include those for plants¹² and other biological organisms¹³.
  5. Locke¹⁴ made the first stab at what this criterion might be. His view was that it was the participation in a single life¹⁵ that made an organism¹⁶ the same organism over time. The concept of a life is itself in need of explanation, and may not (in the absence of vitalism) be logically prior to the concept of an organism.
  6. It seems to me that the biological criterion could (theoretically, at least) allow for metamorphosis¹⁷ (provided that the metamorphosis¹⁸ is into another organism). There are, however, sortal¹⁹ objections to metamorphosis²⁰.
  7. The jumping-off point for this topic is probably "Wilson (Jack) - Biological Individuality - The identity and Persistence of Living Entities". However, the book is at pains to point out that the persistence criteria for exemplars of particular species – and, indeed, their principles of individuation – differ greatly. Standard views are overly influenced by the assumption that all biological individuals are like large mammals rather than, say, strawberry plants²¹. However, as we are large mammals, I’m not too worried about this fine point.
  8. Note that the biological criterion is to be distinguished from the body criterion²², with which the psychological criterion²³ was originally contrasted.

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  Further Remarks
  1. The categorised reading-lists below are of little use and in need of further research. It is somewhat arbitrary as to which books / papers fall under this topic, and which under
     • Biological View²⁴ or
     • Animalism²⁵.