Does it make sense to think we can duplicate persons, so that people can divide just like cells?   Since splitting means dividing one person into two people, the obvious answer seems to be that persons are unable to undergo fission.  By looking at the old example of the Ship of Theseus we find that it is possible to think of artefacts dividing, in that one ship can become two.  More precisely, a set of time-slices that constitute one ship can be shared by two different future sets of time slices that  constitute two different ships.  Exactly the same can be said of person fission of the sort that could happen using Star-Trek-style teleporter technology.

Copyright 2013 Jack Reynolds / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Does it make sense to think we can duplicate persons, so that people can divide just like cells? Since splitting means dividing one person into two people, the obvious answer seems to be that persons are unable to undergo fission. By looking at the old example of the Ship of Theseus we find that it is possible to think of artefacts dividing, in that one ship can become two. More precisely, a set of time-slices that constitute one ship can be shared by two different future sets of time slices that constitute two different ships. Exactly the same can be said of person fission of the sort that could happen using Star-Trek-style teleporter technology. Copyright 2013 Jack Reynolds / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Self Identity, Part II

In this subject we examine some of the central problems that have captivated philosophers throughout millennia, as well as those that scientific advances and cultural changes have only recently brought to our attention. These might include: where did the universe come from? Might a machine think? Is time travel possible? Is it morally acceptable to eat meat, or to design children genetically? Does the world suggest the existence of a designer, a God? Students will focus on examining the merits of the various arguments on these issues, dealing with each philosophical problem for a week. Students will be introduced to most of the major philosophical areas, including epistemology (what can we know?), metaphysics (what is the nature of reality?), ethics, personal identity, and philosophy of mind.

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Self Identity, Part II

Self Identity, Part II

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