Single Idea 16236

[catalogued under 16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 7. Self and Body / a. Self needs body]

Full Idea

Instead of attributing person-like persistence conditions to bodies, we could attribute body-like persistence conditions to persons, …so human persons are identical with human organisms.

Gist of Idea

Maybe our persistence conditions concern bodies, rather than persons

Source

report of Eric T. Olson (The Human Animal [1997]) by Katherine Hawley - How Things Persist 5.10

Book Reference

Hawley,Katherine: 'How Things Persist' [OUP 2004], p.173


A Reaction

In the case of pre-birth and advanced senility, Olson thinks we could have the body without the person, so person is a 'phase sortal' of bodies. A good theory, which seems to answer a lot of questions. 'Person' may be an abstraction.