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A Philosophy of Person and Identity

Where was I when I wasn’t there?

  • Book
  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Monica Meijsing

    1. Weezenhof 3713, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

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  • Presents a new view of personhood, beyond metaphysical notions
  • Delves into the complex theme of person and identity
  • Offers a combination of conceptual analysis and empirical (neuropathological) case studies

Part of the book series: Studies in Brain and Mind (SIBM, volume 21)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 1-4

  3. Life and Death, Soul and Body

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 5-13

  4. Consciousness, Person and Self

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 15-28

  5. Cartesian People 1: The Body a Machine

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 29-55

  6. Cartesian People 2: The Body an Illusion

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 57-93

  7. Lockean Persons 1: Living Without Memory

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 95-116

  8. Lockean Persons 2: Persons and Organisms

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 117-132

  9. The Gradual Origin of Self-Consciousness

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 133-147

  10. “Here I Am”

    • Monica Meijsing
    Pages 149-173

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 175-183
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Keywords

About this book

This book discusses the themes of personhood and personal identity. It argues that while there is a metaphysical answer to the question of personal identity, there is no metaphysical answer to the question of what constitutes a person. The author argues against both body-mind dualism and physicalism and also against the idea that there is some metaphysically real category of persons distinct from the category of human beings or human organisms. Instead, the author presents neutral-monist, autopoietic-enactivist kind of metaphysics of the human being, and a relational, and completely human-dependent notion of a person. 

The tools used in these arguments include conceptual argumentation and empirical case studies. Using both personal experiences and studies of cultures all over the world, the author examines dualism between mind and body. The author discusses real people who seem to live a Cartesian life, as somehow disembodied minds as well as the concept of theperson. The author uses the concluding chapters to present their own views arguing that questions about our identity should be separated from questions of our personhood as well as the concept of personhood. This volume is of interest to scholars of philosophy of mind.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Weezenhof 3713, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Monica Meijsing

About the author

Monica Meijsing (1954) studied psychology and philosophy. She obtained her Ph.D. in philosophy in 1986 on the mind-body problem in relation with cognitive psychology.  She has held positions in the departments of philosophy and of cognitive science at the Universities of Amsterdam, Nijmegen and Tilburg. Her research focusses on (self)consciousness and the body, personal identity and perception.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: A Philosophy of Person and Identity

  • Book Subtitle: Where was I when I wasn’t there?

  • Authors: Monica Meijsing

  • Series Title: Studies in Brain and Mind

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09524-5

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-09523-8Published: 05 August 2022

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-09526-9Published: 05 August 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-09524-5Published: 04 August 2022

  • Series ISSN: 1573-4536

  • Series E-ISSN: 2468-399X

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 183

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Philosophy of Mind

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