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Personal Identity

Concepts

(Text as at 06/07/2023 00:43:12)

Plug Note¹

• Thesis Text:
  1. Concepts are important in "Unger (Peter) - I Do Not Exist". Unger’s answer to the problem of vagueness² – as exemplified by the “disappearing chair” problem (atom-wise annihilation of the chair … just when does it cease to be?) – is that there never were any chairs, just our concept of a chair and atoms arranged chair-wise. We sit on the atoms, not on the concept, but we describe the atom-heap as a chair. But this concept is vague, or there is a family resemblance, so sometimes it’s not clear whether it applies or not.
  2. This may possibly be satisfactory for Artifacts³, but the big question is whether natural kind⁴ objects exist independently of our conceptual schemes. Certainly they do as atom-heaps, but it is unclear whether they do as answers to our concepts. So, various atom-heaps carry on existing⁵, but whether our concepts carry on applying is vague.
  3. Others (eg. Peter Van Inwagen) take the view that only mereological simples and organisms exist, which seems to be a similar view: nothing answers to our concept if it is not of an organism or a simple. Or, rather, it’s atoms arranged X-wise that answer to our concept of X in these circumstances.
  4. There seems to be something special about natural kind⁶ concepts, the persistence⁷ of whose exemplars (unlike those of artifact-concepts) don’t in any sense seem to depend on us and our conceptual schemes. Is PERSON⁸ a natural kind concept – rather than a qualification of an individual falling under a natural kind concept (such as human animal⁹)? If it isn’t, then are we simply left with semantic¹⁰ arguments, which – though logically inconsequential – have profound practical and ethical consequences?
  5. Are the arguments above really saying that artifacts don’t exist? Presumably artifacts depend on us for their existence as artifacts¹¹, though not as lumps of matter.
  6. Lynne Rudder Baker argues that a new ontological¹² entity (a painting) comes into existence because of the relation of an object (a canvas plus paint appropriately distributed) to an art-world. I need to press Baker here. Are all her analogies truly analogous? Given evolution¹³, even species-concepts (paradigms for natural kind¹⁴ concepts) are mobile rather than being eternally fixed. Yet Baker seems to think that it’s a relation to evolutionary history that makes an animal¹⁵ what it is (as distinct, presumably, from atoms arranged animal-wise).

References

• Relevant Works cited above:
  1. "Unger (Peter) - I Do Not Exist", 1979, Read
• For a Page of Links¹⁶ to this Note, Click here.
• Works on this topic that I’ve actually read¹⁷, include the following:-
  • Aeon:
    1. "McGuigan (James Camien) - Meaning beyond definition", 2023, External Link
    2. "Tasioulas (John) - All in one", 2021, External Link, Internal PDF Link
  • General:
    1. "Unger (Peter) - I Do Not Exist", 1979
• A further reading list might start with the list below. I’ve added a few interesting but maybe tangential papers, which may expand the scope of this Note:-
  • General:
    1. "Baker (Lynne Rudder) - Everyday Concepts as a Guide to Reality", 2006, External Link, Internal PDF Link, Read = 6%
    2. "Balaguer (Mark) - Conceptual analysis and x-phi", 2016, External Link, Internal PDF Link, Read = 6%
    3. "Carruthers (Peter) - Invertebrate concepts confront the Generality Constraint (and win)", 2009, External Link, Internal PDF Link, Read = 6%
    4. "Earl (Dennis) - Concepts and Properties", 2006, Internal PDF Link
    5. "Margolis (Eric) - How to Acquire a Concept", 1998, Internal PDF Link
    6. "Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen) - The Ontology of Concepts - Abstract Objects or Mental Representations?", 2007, No Abstract, Internal PDF Link
    7. "Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen), Eds. - Concepts - Core Readings", 2000, Book
    8. "McGinn (Colin) - Conceptual Causation: Some Elementary Reflections", 1991, Internal PDF Link, Read = 17%
    9. "Papineau (David) - Phenomenal and Perceptual Concepts", 2006, External Link, Internal PDF Link
    10. "Raatikainen (Panu) - Putnam, Languages and Worlds", 2001, Internal PDF Link
    11. "Stephan (Achim) - Are Animals Capable of Concepts?", 1999, Internal PDF Link
    12. "Wiggins (David) - The Concept of the Subject Contains the Concept of the Predicate", 2016, Read = 11%

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• For a list of Works that have been considered, but have missed the cut for inclusion in this Section of my Thesis, see the following:-
  1. Read: No items to list.
  2. Further Reading: No items to list.
• This is mostly a place-holder¹⁸.

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Table of the Previous 8 Versions of this Note:

Date	Length	Title
20/09/2022 11:24:00	4180	Concepts
02/05/2022 23:44:10	3799	Concepts
09/02/2021 00:40:19	3304	Concepts
15/09/2020 13:32:10	2789	Concepts
04/02/2018 11:29:46	3902	Concepts
25/08/2009 21:38:53	1964	Concepts
26/11/2007 23:25:26	1751	Concepts
12/08/2007 10:17:46	1748	Concepts

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Note last updated	Reading List for this Topic	Parent Topic
06/07/2023 00:43:12	Concepts	Semantics

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Summary of Notes Referenced by This Note

Animals	Artifacts	Awaiting Attention (Personal Identity)	Evolution	Existence
Human Animals	Natural Kinds	Note Links Explanation	Ontology	Persistence
Person	Plug Note Apologia	Semantics	Vagueness	Works Read - Explanation

To access information, click on one of the links in the table above.

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Summary of Notes Citing This Note

Androids	Convention	Counting Persons	Dion and Theon	Evolution
Forensic Property	Kinds	Language of Thought	London Review of Books	Methuselah
Natural Kinds	Olson - What Are We? Animals	Person	Personality	PID Note, Book & Paper Usage, 2, 3, 4
Reductionism	Research - Focus	Research - Proposal	Semantics	Thesis - Chapter 01 (Introduction), 2
Thesis - Chapter 03 (What is a Person?), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Thesis - Chapter 04 (Basic Metaphysical Issues), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	Thesis - Chapter 06 (Animalism and Arguments for It)	Thesis - Chapter 07 (The Constitution View and Arguments for It)	Thesis - Chapter 10 (Thought Experiments), 2, 3
Thesis - Current Stance	Thesis - Personal Identity, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19	Thought Experiments, 2, 3	Wantons	Website Generator Documentation - Functors, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

To access information, click on one of the links in the table above.

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Authors, Books & Papers Citing this Note

Author	Title	Medium	Extra Links	Read?
Ayers (Michael R.)	Locke on Living Things	Paper	2	Yes
Black (Oliver)	N/A	Author
Crane (Tim)	N/A	Author
Halina (Marta)	Video - Charting animal cognition	Paper		Yes
LRB	London Review of Books	Paper
Lyon (Ardon)	On Remaining the Same Person	Paper	2
Mayr (Ernst)	Towards a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist	Book
Meincke (Anne Sophie)	N/A	Author
Monso (Susana)	How to Tell If Animals Can Understand Death	Paper
Monso (Susana)	What animals think of death	Paper		Yes
Olson (Eric)	Persistence	Paper		Yes
Olson (Eric)	What Are We? Animals	Paper		Yes
Papineau (David)	Introducing Consciousness	Paper		Yes
Schechtman (Marya)	Personality and Persistence: The Many Faces of Personal Survival	Paper
Seth (Anil Kumar)	N/A	Author
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Androids	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 01 (Introduction)	Paper	2	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 03 (What is a Person?)	Paper	2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 04 (Basic Metaphysical Issues)	Paper	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 06 (Animalism and Arguments for It)	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 07 (The Constitution View and Arguments for It)	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Chapter 10 (Thought Experiments)	Paper	2, 3	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Convention	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Counting Persons	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Current Position	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Dion and Theon	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Evolution	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Forensic Property	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Kinds	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Language of Thought	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Methuselah	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Natural Kinds	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Person	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Personal Identity	Paper	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Personality	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Reductionism	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Semantics	Paper		Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Thought Experiments	Paper	2, 3	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Wantons	Paper		Yes
Van Inwagen (Peter)	Materialism and the Psychological-continuity Account of Personal Identity	Paper		Yes
Wilson (Jack)	Beyond Horses and Oak Trees: A New Theory of Individuation for Living Entities	Paper		Yes

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References & Reading List

Author	Title	Medium	Source	Read?
Baker (Lynne Rudder)	Everyday Concepts as a Guide to Reality	Paper - Cited	The Monist, Vol. 89, No. 3, Coming into Being and Passing Away (July 2006), pp. 313-333	6%
Balaguer (Mark)	Conceptual analysis and x-phi	Paper - Cited	Synthese, vol. 193 (August 2016), pp. 2367-388	6%
Baron (Samuel) & Miller (Kristie)	Our Concept of Time	Paper - By Subtopic	B. Mölder, Arstila & P. Ohrstrom (eds.), Philosophy and Psychology of Time. Springer, 2015. pp. 29-52	5%
Carruthers (Peter)	Invertebrate concepts confront the Generality Constraint (and win)	Paper - Cited	Robert W. Lurz (ed.), The Philosophy of Animal Minds. Cambridge University Press (2009), Chapter 5	6%
Dretske (Fred)	Concepts and Meaning	Paper - By Subtopic	Dretske - Knowledge and the Flow of Information, 1981, Chapter 9	No
Dretske (Fred)	Knowledge and the Flow of Information	Book - By Subtopic (via Paper By Subtopic)	Dretske (Fred) - Knowledge and the Flow of Information	10%
Earl (Dennis)	Concepts and Properties	Paper - Cited	Metaphysica 7.1 (2006), pp. 67-86	No
Fodor (Jerry)	Information and Representation	Paper - By Subtopic	Margolis & Laurence - Concepts - Core Readings	No
French (Peter) & Wettstein (Howard), Eds.	Midwest Studies in Philosophy (Vol XXVIII) - The American Philosophers	Book - By Subtopic (via Paper By Subtopic)	French (Peter) & Wettstein (Howard), Eds. - Midwest Studies in Philosophy (Vol XXVIII) - The American Philosophers	No
Goodman (Russell B.)	James (1842-1910) on the Nonconceptual	Paper - By Subtopic	French (Peter) & Wettstein (Howard), Eds. - Midwest Studies in Philosophy (Vol XXVIII) - The American Philosophers	No
Lurz (Robert), Ed.	The Philosophy of Animal Minds	Book - Cited (via Paper Cited)	Bibliographical details to be supplied	4%
MacDonald (Graham)	Perception & Identity - Essays Presented to A J Ayer with His Replies	Book - Cited (via Paper Cited)	Bibliographical details to be supplied	1%
Machery (Edouard)	Concepts: Investigating the Heterogeneity Hypothesis	Paper - By Subtopic	Sytsma - Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Mind, Chapter 8	No
Margolis (Eric)	How to Acquire a Concept	Paper - Cited	Margolis & Laurence - Concepts - Core Readings	No
Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen)	Concepts	Paper - By Subtopic	Stich & Warfield - Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind, 2003	No
Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen)	The Ontology of Concepts - Abstract Objects or Mental Representations?	Paper - By Subtopic	Nous, 2007	No
Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen), Eds.	Concepts - Core Readings	Book - Cited	Margolis (Eric) & Laurence (Stephen), Eds. - Concepts - Core Readings	No
McGinn (Colin)	Conceptual Causation: Some Elementary Reflections	Paper - By Subtopic	Mind, New Series, Vol. 100, No. 4, Mind and Content (Oct., 1991), pp. 573-586	17%
McGuigan (James Camien)	Meaning beyond definition	Paper - Cited	Aeon, 03 April 2023	Yes
Miller (Kristie)	On The Concept Of Sexual Perversion	Paper - By Subtopic	The Philosophical Quarterly (1950-), Vol. 60, No. 241 (October 2010), pp. 808-830	No
Papineau (David)	Phenomenal and Perceptual Concepts	Paper - By Subtopic	Torin Alter & Sven Walter (eds.), Phenomenal Concepts and Phenomenal Knowledge: New Essays on Consciousness and Physicalism. Oxford University Press. pp. 111-144 (2006)	No
Stephan (Achim)	Are Animals Capable of Concepts?	Paper - By Subtopic	Erkenntnis, Vol. 51, No. 1, Animal Mind (1999) (pp. 79-92)	No
Stich (Stephen) & Warfield (Ted), Eds.	Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind	Book - By Subtopic (via Paper By Subtopic)	Stich (Stephen) & Warfield (Ted), Eds. - Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind	5%
Sytsma (Justin), Ed.	Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Mind	Book - By Subtopic (via Paper By Subtopic)	Sytsma (Justin), Ed. - Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Mind	2%
Tasioulas (John)	All in one	Paper - Cited	Aeon, 2021	Yes
Todman (Theo)	Thesis - Concepts	Paper - By Subtopic		Yes
Unger (Peter)	I Do Not Exist	Paper - Cited	MacDonald - Perception & Identity - Essays Presented to A J Ayer with His Replies, 1979	Yes
Wiggins (David)	Continuants: Their Activity, Their Being, and Their Identity	Book - By Subtopic (via Paper By Subtopic)	Wiggins (David) - Continuants: Their Activity, Their Being, and Their Identity	14%
Wiggins (David)	The Concept of the Subject Contains the Concept of the Predicate	Paper - By Subtopic	Wiggins (David) - Continuants: Their Activity, Their Being, and Their Identity	11%

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1. Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2025

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