"Personal Identity" Self-Quiz

. Parfit holds that the "problem cases" for personal identity . . .

Aren't realistic, so shouldn't inform our theories of personal identity

Require us to find a definite conception of personal identity

Push our conception of personal identity to its limits

Don't actually present a problem

. Which of the following describes Wiggins' "division" case?

A person's brain is divided and put into two new bodies, resulting in two people with her character

The memories of two people are fused into one, resulting in a person with elements of both people

Two people exchange bodies, one person's brain being put into the other's body, and vice versa

None of the above

. With Wiggins' division case in mind, what does Parfit suggest?

I survive as both people

We should give up the language of personal identity

I don't survive the operation

I survive as one of the two people

. What is the relevance of a "q-memory"?

It is a way of talking about memory without presupposing identity

It shows that we cannot talk about memories without presupposing identity

It explains how division and fusion cases can be possible

None of the above

. What does Parfit mean by "psychological connectedness"?

Overlapping chains of direct psychological relations

The holding of direct psychological relations

A transitive psychological relation

None of the above

. Parfit denies that it is of the utmost important that we develop a definite theory of personal identity to solve important cases that presuppose that concept.

True

False

. For Parfit, there are important differences between the identity of a nation and the identity of a person.

True

False

. Parfit suggests that it isn't likely that many of the problem cases in the personal identity literature could plausibly become a reality.

True

False

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