INFORMATION to USERS the Most Advanced Technology Has Been Used to Photograph and Reproduce This Manuscript from the Microfilm M
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UM1 films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell information C om pany 300 NorthZ e e b Road Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346USA 313 761-4700 800 521-0600 Order Number 9105322 An analysis of personhood and its implications for humans, identity, and morality Storl, Heidi, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1990 Copyright ©1990 by Storl, Heidi. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zceb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 AN ANALYSIS OF PERSONHOOD AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMANS, IDENTITY, AND MORALITY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Heidi Storl, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1990 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Alan Hausman Donald C. Hubin Adviser Diana Raffman Department of Philosophy Copyright by Heidi Storl 1990 To Norman R. Dria and Robert G. Turnbull ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express sincere thanks and appreciation to my adviser, Donald C. Hubin, for his constructive criticisms, sense of humor, and subtle encouragement. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Alan Hausman for his generous comments through out my work, and to Diana Raff man for her meticulous attention to detail. Roland Puccetti (Dalhousie University), Raymond Martin (University of Maryland at College Park), and Donald Howard (University of Kentucky) also deserve special thanks. Finally, I am most grateful to William F. Desmond for reminding me of alternative points of view and providing me with flowers. VITA October 9,1961............................................... Bom - Lodi, Ohio 1983...................................................................B.A. (Summa Cum Laude), Capital University, Columbus, Ohio 1986...................................................................M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1988-198......................................................... 9 Full Time Instructor, Department of Philosophy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 1989-199......................................................... 0 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Philosophy Studies in: Ethics, Metaphysics, and Philosopny of Mind TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................ in VITA...................................................................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 CHAFFER..................................................................................................................PAGE I. THE NATURE OF PERSONHOOD: AN OVERVIEW OF APPROACHES......................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ..............................................................................................................7 Section One: The Soul Theory ..............................................................................9 Section Two: The Species Theory ...................................................................... 11 Section Three: The Social Constructionist Approach ..................................... 16 Section Four: Impure Psychological Theories .................................................. 18 A Perry’s Proposal ..........................................................................................20 B. Johnston’s Proposal ....................................................................................25 C. Wiggin’s Proposal .......................................................................................27 Section Five: Derek Parfit’s Theory of Personhood ........................................ 34 A. Parfit’s Existence Claims ...........................................................................35 B. Parfit’s Distinctness Claims .......................................................................36 C. Parfit’s Impersonalist Claims.................................................................... 37 1. Terminological Difficulties ................................................................... 40 2.ConceptualDifficultie s ..........................................................................41 a. Parfit’s Unhelpful Appeal to Hume ...............................................41 b. Parfit’s Inconsistent Definition of ‘Person’ ................................... 43 D. An Alternative Interpretation of Parfit ...................................................46 Conclusion. ............................................................................................................. 47 II. THE NATURE OF PERSONHOOD RECONSIDERED: THE CASE FOR A PURELY PSYCHOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF PERSONHOOD, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN NATURE...................................... 49 Introduction. ........................................................................................................... 49 Section One: The Psychological Criteria of Personhood ................................ 50 A Intentional ity and Self-Consciousness ......................................................51 Section Two: The Nature of Human Persons ................................................... 57 A Four Interpretations of Commissurotomy Research .............................60 1. The First Interpretation ......................................................................61 v a. The Conservative View ....................................................................63 b. The Liberal View. .............................................................................64 2. The Second Interpretation .................................................................... 71 3. The Third Interpretation ....................................................................... 73 4. The Fourth Interpretation .................................................................... 77 B. Implications for Normal Humans .............................................................90 Conclusion. ............................................................................................................. 99 m . IMPLICATIONS FOR PERSONAL IDENTITY AND SURVIVAL........... 101 Introduction. ..........................................................................................................101 Section One: The "New Perspective" ................................................................102 A. The R-Relation ......................................................................................... 104 1. Psychological Connectedness ..............................................................104 2. Psychological Continuity ..................... 105 3. The Causal Requirement .....................................................................106 4. Summary ...............................................................................................107 Section Two: Problems with Parfit’s Account..................................................109 A. Problem One: Parfit’s Causal Requirement ......................................109 B. Problem Two: Identity and the R-Relation .................................... 114 1. Parfit’s Interpretation of the Split Brain Data .................................115 2. The More Threatening Case of Division ...........................................116 3. Summary ...............................................................................................122 Conclusion, ............................................................................................................122 IV. NORMATIVE IMPLICATIONS..........................................................................125 Introduction. ..........................................................................................................125 Section One: Troubling Implications ................................................................127