Research On Derek Parfit's Theory Of Personal Identity

This paper probes into Derek Parfit's theory of personal identity,focusing on the new directions and methods proposed by him when facing the dilemma of traditional theories on this problem.The structure of the paper,according to its purpose and object,is arranged as follows:In the Chapter 1,the origins of personal identity are firstly illustrated.This problem originated from the debate between the debtor and the dettee and re-debated in Middle Age because of the problem of afterlife.And in modern philosophy,the problem was discussed by several philosophers systematically.Then the author of the paper goes over the main stages of the problem and the representatives of each stage.Finally,the author try to detail this problem from two aspects,namely,ontological and epistemological.Chapter 2 focuses on Parfit's critique on past theories on personal identity and the critique is composed of three parts.The first is the critique on Descartes's doctrine of entity.Part two and part three are the critique and surpassing on the criteria of personal identity,including the critique of physical continuity and surpassing of mental continuity.Chapter 3 proposes the detailed topics and directions put out by Parfit.What he believes is "What matters in survival?" and what is the difference between his reductionism and other ones.Because of his focus on moral issues,the center of personal identity has changed a lot and brought a new wave on this problem.Why Parfit's theory on this problem is thought as an achievement of milestone?Chapter 4 tries to have an overview and assess his theory on personal identity,pointing out the shift of his research and the influence on future debates.