12. Personal identity, Part III: Objections to the personality theory
Death (PHIL 176)
The lecture focuses on the problems directly related to the personality theory as key to personal identity. The theory states that a person retains his or her individuality so long as he or she has the same ongoing personality. The main objection raised to this claim is the problem of duplication. The lecture explores cases in which the same personality has been transferred or exported to multiple bodies.
00:00 - Chapter 1. A Mad Scientist's Experiment to Determine Personal Identity
07:12 - Chapter 2. The Science Experiment Continued: Dilemmas in Mixed Personalities and Bodies
19:38 - Chapter 3. Duplication as an Objection to the Personality Theory
40:26 - Chapter 4. No Branching Clause - Acceptable under the Personality Theory?
Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu
This course was recorded in Spring 2007.