If we give up the language of identity, we can claim that a survives the operation and so survives as two different people, B and C, without claiming that a is identical to either B. Or C. Or both. By giving up claims about identity in favour of claims about survival, we can avoid problems about transitivity.
(Belshaw and Price, p.86)
Therefore, we could say that in the term 'personal identity' what Parfit does is to reduce the importance of the personal aspect and emphasize a criterion of identity that is mental or psychological and not dependent on the body. The important question therefore becomes not "will I exist:" but rather will my life continue. There a many criticisms of this line of thought and some commentators claim that in Parfit's view "Identity is not what matters" - which they seen in a negative light. (Personal Identity as Psychological Continuity)
Williams provides a very different approach to the issue of identity and prefers to retain the more 'personal' and subjective aspect of this question. His argument is intended to cast doubt on the "...widely held view that people are essentially minds, or that mental or psychological considerations are decisive in issues of personal identity" (Belshaw and Price, p.86). He is of the view that bodily continuity plays a vital role in the understanding of personal identity. Central to his argument is his assertion that,."..I shall try to show that bodily identity is always a necessary condition of personal identity..." (Williams, 1973, p. 1). As stated in section of his work entitled, the SELF and the FUTURE, William believes that, "...bodily continuity is at least a necessary condition of personal identity" (Williams, 1973, ' the SELF and the FUTURE').
Williams use a number of different arguments to support his assertion of bodily continuity. In his hypothetical experiments he uses the issue of fear of the future and considers that "...one's fears can extend to future pain whatever psychological changes precede it" as an argument for the existence and continuity of bodily identity. (Williams, 1973, ' the SELF and the FUTURE').
Williams also makes use of the reduplication argument. This argument claims that, "we have no way of making identity judgments on the basis of memory claims alone" (Ray) Williams sates that this argument shows that it is not possible from an epistemological point-of-view to make judgments about identity without taking into account the physical body. In effect, he states that "...the omission of the body takes away all content from the idea of personal identity" (Williams, 1973, p. 10).
5. Conclusions
The...
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