Being of Two Minds (or of One in Two Ways): A New Puzzle for Constitution Views of Personal Identity

Rina Tzinman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

According to constitution views of persons, we are constituted by spatially coinciding human animals. Constitution views face an ‘overpopulation' puzzle: if the animal has my brain, there is another thinker where I am. An influential solution to this problem distinguishes between derivative and non-derivative property possession: persons non-derivatively have their personal properties, while inheriting others from their constituters. I will show that this solution raises a new problem, by constructing a puzzle with the absurd result that we instantiate certain properties incompatibly. In setting up the puzzle, I demonstrate the relevance of the bodily awareness and self-awareness literatures to overpopulation puzzles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-42
Number of pages21
JournalPacific Philosophical Quarterly
Volume101
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2020
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy

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