Persistence (1) Introduction PDF

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Persistence (1) Introduction. Notes with Prof. Varzi...

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Persistence)(1):)Introduction Tuesday,' October' 24,'2017

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2:41'PM

Change'next'topic 1'week'behind' Going'to'skip'something'eventually Idneity'througb'time'is'really'idneity'through'change' One'of'oldest'topics'in'philopshy Super'dramtics'as'well

Persistence • Diochormic'idenity'distgusih'from'other'notions'of'idneity'beginning'with' synchornic'idenity'idenity'beginngin'at'a'time • Mind'boyd'problem'opposition'between',modist'and'dualist' • Cartelaisn'dualist'twoism'two'things'in'front'of'you'not'one ○ Namely'human'body'and'person ○ I'am'not'my'body'according'to'this'view ○ I'am'not'indeitcal'to'my'body'same'as'disnitnct'from'it ○ I'in'euqalt'to'my'body ○ Other'philopshers'think'differntly § Me' § I'am'indetical'with'my'body' ○ Clealry'issue'of'idenity ○ Professor'cant'tell'you'which'is'right'cant'tell' you'which'is'your'view ○ Metaphysical'worry'about'synchornic'idenity ○ Nonidneitcal'things'in'front'of'you'right'now ○ Synchronic'idnity'fwith'regard'to'many'other'domains § Hole'is'something'over'and'above'some'of'its'parts § Artsiole'introduce'lnaguge'to'say'whole'is'more'than'some'of'its' mere'parts § Table'more'than'four'legs'and'a'top § More'than'subatomic'particles § There'is'a'tabel'and'mere'some'f'parts'have'different'properties' than'its'parts § Same of body and some of my parts

§ My'body'could'loss'it'fingernails'would'survive'lost'I'would'still' inahbit'it'and'feel'the'same'but'some'of'parts'would'be'different' § Loss'hand'or'left'foot'body'would'survive'but'some'of'parts'would' not'one'of'parts'missing'and'my'deifntion'some'of'parts'consist'of' this'part'agree'with'this'view'disngusih'body'from'sum''of'its'parts' • Distingusih'person'body'some'threealist • Varzi'one'thing' • Decartes'argument'person'body'dualism ○ I'would'survive'loss'of'foot'but'my'body'would'not'be'exactly' the'same'so' I'must'be'disntcint'from'my'boyd ○ I'die'but'my'body'for'a'while'is'still'there'I'am'not'my'body'disnitct ○ Appeal'to'idneity'through'time' ○ Philosphical'views'at'a'time'trade'with'views'across'time ○ Difference'between'relationship'but'there'is'still'a'relationship ○ Intimate'connections ○ Have'control'over'own'body'but'not'billys' ○ How'is'person'or'mind'connected'to'body ○ Pineal'gland' § Isnt'pineal'gland'part'of'body § Elizabeth'question:'How'can'mind'interact'with'pineal'gland'if'it’s'a' prt'of'the'body □ Great'question'uhm'what'answer? § Endanger'of'making'same'mistake'today'when'we'praises' ocntempory'neurosicence • • • • • • • • •

These'two'things'have'differnet'persiatance'conditions Idneity'across'time For'a'while'morning'star'evening'star'two'disnct'celestial' bodies Than'find'out'its'planet'venus'same'thing Etelscopes'helped'us'figure'out A'and'B'are'in'fact'disnctt Didffent'names'but'refer'to'same'thing Clark'kent'superman'some'thing We'know'they'are'the'same'thing'because'we'have'right'elescope'contingent' on'scneitifc'inquiry • Know'now'water'is'h20'but'now'know'this • What'kind'of'teslecope'do'we'need'to'build'to'figure'out'question • What'kind'of'experiement' perfrom'ejudicate'question

• Arugably'no'experiement'can'be'peerfomed'to'see'wheter'I'am'my'body'or'I'am' distinct'from'my'boyd • Philosphers'use'thought'experiements • We'imagine'a'situation'and'we'check'our'intiations'against'imagination • Because'its'is'metaphsyically'psosible'pro'or'against • Token'idneity'vs'type'idneity ○ Sense'in'which'two'students'have'same'tuexdo'thereofre'cannot'go' dancing'together'stcit'idnetyf ○ I'have'same'nose'as'father'not'numeric'idenity'nose'rleatively'similar'to' father'aunt'makes'same'cake'everytime'I'go'there'numerically'difernt' cake'of'same'kind ○ Strict'sense'in'which'my'fathers'nose'and'my'noses'are'not'distincts ○ Stirct'sense'morning'star'and'evening'star'are'the'same ○ How'many'things'do'we'have'one'or'two'counting' • Checking'in'piece'if'luaggae'need'to'know'it’s'the'same'thing'didn’t'say'goodbye' to'it • Car'change'the'wheel'change'seat'still' your'acr'which'goes'through'various' changes'nicer'than'it'was'before'fix'things'change'them' • Cruical'that'we'can'say'they'are'the'same'things'despite'the'chnages • Havent'seen'you'in'a'while'same'person'even'thouhg'in'a'way'they'are'different' cruical'we'can'recognze'eahc'other'as'the'same'people ○ Freaky'Friday??? • Thing'see'in'mirror'not'same'thing'we'went'to'bed'as'different'one'that'was'in' front'of'mirror'last'night'reocgnize'it'as'still'you • Impression'we'are'the'same'throughout'our'lives • It'is'we'who'change'not'other'things'that'take'our'places • Idea'of'anchors • Inconsistent'position'to'hold ○ We'are'still'the'same'even'thou'we'are'different ○ Metaphysical'starting'point ○ What'does'that'mean?? ○ How'can'I'be'the'same'if'I'am'different ○ How'can'I'be'numerically'the'same'thing'that'was'in'front'of'you'on' thrusday'if'qulaitatively'I'am'distinct ○ Two'notions'of'idenity'here'qulative'and'numeric'idneity ○ Compare'x'and'y'through'time'x'and'y'numerically'the'same'but' qualittaive'diffenrt ○ Two'idneities

○ Not'answer'just'redeifntion'of'problem ○ Principle'of'disinreables'next'to'insidcrediabilty'of'identicals § One'is'undisputed' § One'is'not'true § Anticdent'of'statement'true'consduqence'false § I'am'the'same'person'I'was'a'week'ago § Fewer'hairs'not'qualtiativatly'the'same' § Indisicerbality'of'identicals'under'threat § By'now'should'know'when'talking'about'portpoeties'when'talking' about'temperal'scenrios'must'rleativetes'propeties'to'time § Must'say'x'and'y'if'they'are'the'same'at'any'time't'what'is'true'of'x' at't'is'ture'of'y'at't § If'believe' in'universals'if'p'at't'staifies'by'x'also'staies'by'y § Plot'in'time'and'you'are'fine'change'is'taken'care'of' § Partly'a'solution'but'also'not'a'solution'for'simple'reason'that'what' are'the'respects'that'matter'here § ***'slideshow''posted'on'courseworks § How'can'one'and'the'same'thing'enjoy'different,'incompataible' properties? □ Same,'but'different □ Young''Mary-Kate'&'Ashley'Olson'twins □ Very'similar'can'pretend'for'sake'of'story'perfectly' indistiughsiable □ Subtsram'tehrom'would'say'bare'indvudal'differnet'wto'and' not'one □ Older''Mary-Kate'&'Ashley'Olson'twins □ Two'numerically'in'spite'of'being'qualitvatley'the'same'one □ But'we'want'to'say'young'marky'kate'and'old'marykate'are' the'same'but'young'marykate'and'young'ahsley'are'different' WERID □ John'locke'track'idenitty ® Look'at'psychology'memory ® First'person'memeoires'of'younger'slef'life'chooses' who'she'is ® Pshycological'continuty'is'a'good'criterium'for' indietfying'persons'acorss'times □ Material'contuniry'matter'compsoed'of'now'but'for'most'part' same'as'what'was'two'minutes'ago'with'chalk Id tit l

§ Identity'puzzles □ Puzzle'#1 ® Chrysippus'of'Soli'(3rd'century'BC) ® Often'associated'with'David'Wiggins'(n.'1933)'but'note' it'is'Chrys ® Could'use'person'but'personal'indiety'sense'of' consciosuness'would'be'distracting'just'want'theory'to' apply'to'piece'of'luggage'good'to'work'with'objects' generally ® How'many'stars'there'are'in'the'universe'more'than' every'grain'of'sand'on'earth'on'all' the'beaches ® Suppose'that'overnight'this'table'lost'a'small'piece ◊ Though'experiment ◊ 'alpaha''the'table'that'was'here'yesertday ◊ 'beta''alpha'minus'the'small'piece'proper'part'of' alpha'corresponding'to'what'stays'what'doesn’t' fall'to'the'floor ◊ 'gamma''table'here'today ◊ Picture'in'slideshow'to'help'visulaize ® Intution'#1:'alpha'and'gamma'are'numerically'the'same' thing'in'spite'of'the'small'qualitative'difference ◊ Inuttion''to'say'thate'very'morning'we'look'in' mirror'reocgnize'ourseleves'small'chnages'don’t' kill'us ® Intution'#2:'Beta'and'Gamma'are'numercially'the'same' for'there'is'no'differnec'ehwtasoever ◊ Same'shape'occupy'same'space'no'difference' whatsover ◊ Differnece'bewteen'aplhas'and'gamma'if' anything ® Thus ◊ aplpha'=gamma ◊ Beta'='gamma ◊ Than'aplaha'='beta ◊ Idneity'is'transitive } Only'two'people'in'history'of'philosphy' rejected' – Peter'geesh

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} Basically'everyone'agrees'idenity'is' transitive' But'that’s'impossibe'alpah'isnt'beta'palsha'is' bigger'than'beta' Talking'about'syncorhic'idenityf'for'simple'reason' have'different'properties' Clearly'alpha'isnt'beta So'we'are'in'a'puzzle

◊ ◊ □ Puzzle'#2 ® The'process'cntinues;'every'night,'the'table'loses'a' small'piece,'until'we'are'left'with'a'single'fragment. ◊ Alpha'at'time'0'- what'is'left'of'alpha'after'the' loss'of'0'pieces ◊ Alpha'1'what'is'left'after'alpha'loss'of'1'piece ◊ Aplahs'n'pieecs'what'is'left'of'aplha'after'the'loss' of'n'pieces ® Intution'2:'for'the'same'reason'alpha'and'lpha'are' numerically'the'same' ® Eventually'left'with'(visual)'nothing'really □ Puzzle'#'3 ® Plutarch'(1st'century) ® Talked'about'in'life'of'thesize ® Contributation'by'thomas'hobbes'(17th'century) ® A'different'process:'each'time'the'table'loses'a'piece,' we'replace'it'with'a'perfectly'similar'piece ® Still'my'computer'replacing'pieces' ® Willingness'to'say'Samething'afterall' ® Intution'not'only'strong'but'unproblematic ® **get'notes'from'slides'didn’t'copy ® Enter'thomas'hobbes ® Suppose'we'now'put'together'all'the'original'pieces' exactly'as'theyw'ere'orginally ® We'are'going'to'obtain'a'table'aplah*'that'is'perfeclty' similar'to'the'orginal'table'alpha ® Indeed'we'might'want'to'say'that'alpha'is'paha'we'just' put'it'back'together'...