Why people don't matter and what to do about that

dc.contributor.advisorStrawson, Galen
dc.contributor.advisorWoodruff, Paul, 1943-
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSchechtman, Marya S
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDogramaci, Sinan
dc.creatorGalgon, Jake David
dc.creator.orcid0000-0001-5276-4940
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-24T14:20:34Z
dc.date.available2017-10-24T14:20:34Z
dc.date.created2017-05
dc.date.issued2017-05-04
dc.date.submittedMay 2017
dc.date.updated2017-10-24T14:20:34Z
dc.description.abstractReductionism about personal identity is the view that facts about personal identity reduce to lower-level facts about things like psychological or physical connectedness. In this dissertation, I give arguments for reductionism and for Derek Parfit’s “Extreme Claim” that reductionism requires a radical revision of our ordinary normative thought. After detailing the extent of this revision, I introduce and describe a special sort of self-alienation that is likely to be engendered by a genuine belief in Extreme Claim Reductionism. I argue that this alienation cannot and should not be eliminated, and consider existing attempts to eliminate similar sorts of alienation and note where they seem to fall short of their aim. I then outline a practical strategy for living with Extreme Claim Reductionism and the alienation that accompanies it.
dc.description.departmentPhilosophy
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T2HH6CN64
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/62241
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subjectMetaphysics
dc.subjectEthics
dc.subjectPersonal identity
dc.subjectNormative ethics
dc.subjectReasons
dc.subjectThe self
dc.subjectPersons
dc.subjectReductionism
dc.subjectAlienation
dc.subjectWrestling
dc.subjectDerek Parfit
dc.titleWhy people don't matter and what to do about that
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.departmentPhilosophy
thesis.degree.disciplinePhilosophy
thesis.degree.grantorThe University of Texas at Austin
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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