Dennett, “Where Am I?”

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Philosophy 110W: Introduction to Philosophy Hamilton College Spring 2011 Russell Marcus Class 16 - Dennett, “Where Am I?” We have discussed at least six different theories of personal identity: Body theory Biological theory Soul theory (Plato/Descartes) Consciousness/Memory theory (Locke) Irreducibility theory (Reid) Bundle theory/no-self theory (Hume/Parfit) You will be writing your papers on this topic. One option is to write a compare-and-contrast paper on two or more of the readings: Locke and Reid, say, or Reid and Kripke, or Hume and Parfit. Another option would be to apply one or two theories to an interesting case or set of cases, like that of Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Yet another, more-difficult, but perhaps more-rewarding, option would be to formulate your own theory of personal identity out of the criticisms of one or more of the standard theories, the ones we have read. In any case, your paper should show significant exegetical effort. For today’s class, I asked you to read a whimsical piece by Dan Dennett on personal identity. Here are fourteen points in Dennett’s piece that are worth considering in light of our theories. 1. After the surgery: Where am I? (311) 2. Attempting to convince himself that he is suspended in the vat (312) 3. Considering alternative 1: He is his body (Hamlet) (313) 4. Considering alternative 2: He is his brain (Yorick) (313) 5. Considering alternative 3: The point-of-view theory (314-5) 6. Another alterative: He is in two places at the same time (316) 7. The death of Hamlet (317) 8. A new body (Fortinbras) is synchronized with Yorick (319) 9. Hubert, the computer back-up for Yorick, is introduced (320) 10. Flipping between Hubert and Yorick (320) 11. Considering synchronizing a new body with Hubert or Yorick (320) 12. The conundrum: I survive if either pair survives, but I may not want both to survive (321) 13. Disembodied Hubert/Yorick (321) 14. Asynchrony (322) Let’s think about them in a little bit of detail..

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CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture ISSN 1481-4374 Purdue University Press ©Purdue University Volume 6 (2004) Issue 1 Article 13 Bibliography for the Study of Shakespeare on Film in Asia and Hollywood Lucian Ghita Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, and the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons Dedicated to the dissemination of scholarly and professional information, Purdue University Press selects, develops, and distributes quality resources in several key subject areas for which its parent university is famous, including business, technology, health, veterinary medicine, and other selected disciplines in the humanities and sciences. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, the peer-reviewed, full-text, and open-access learned journal in the humanities and social sciences, publishes new scholarship following tenets of the discipline of comparative literature and the field of cultural studies designated as "comparative cultural studies." Publications in the journal are indexed in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (Chadwyck-Healey), the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Thomson Reuters ISI), the Humanities Index (Wilson), Humanities International Complete (EBSCO), the International Bibliography of the Modern Language Association of America, and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal is affiliated with the Purdue University Press monograph series of Books in Comparative Cultural Studies. Contact: <[email protected]> Recommended Citation Ghita, Lucian. "Bibliography for the Study of Shakespeare on Film in Asia and Hollywood." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 6.1 (2004): <https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.1216> The above text, published by Purdue University Press ©Purdue University, has been downloaded 2531 times as of 11/ 07/19.
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