ProfessorShellyKagan:
Thefirstquestionwewanttodiscusshastodowiththepossibilityofmysurvivingmydeath.Istherelifeafterdeath?
IsthereapossibilitythatImightstillexistorsurviveaftermydeath?
Nowatfirstglance--andinfact,Ithink,atsecondglanceit'sgoingtoturnouttobetrue--youmightthinkthattheanswertothisquestionwoulddependontwobasicissues.DoIsurvivemydeath?
Dowesurviveourdeaths?
Youthink,thefirstthingwehavetogetclearoniswellwhatamI?
WhatkindofathingamI?
Orgeneralizing,whatkindofthingisaperson?
Whatarewemadeof?
Whatareourparts?
Itseemsplausibletothinkthatbeforewecouldanswerthequestion,"DoIsurvive?
"weneedtoknowhowI'mbuilt.Andsothefirstthingwe'regoingtospendafairbitoftimeonistryingtogetclearonwhat'saperson?
Whatarethefundamentalbuildingblocksofaperson?
Thesecondquestionthatyoumightthinkwe'dwanttogetclearonis,"What'stheidea,orwhat'stheconcept,ofsurviving?
"Beforeweask,"DoIsurvive?
"weneedtogetclearon"WhatamI?
"and"Whatisittosurvive?
"Whatisitforsomethingthatexistsinthefuturetobeme?
Nowthisquestioncanbediscussedphilosophicallyinquitegeneralterms.What'sthenatureofpersistenceofidentityovertime?
Butsincewe'reespeciallyinterestedinbeingslikeus,people,thistopic,thissub-specializedversionofthequestionofidentity,getsdiscussedundertherubricofthetopic,personalidentity.What'sthekeyorthenatureorthebasisofpersonalidentity?
Aswemightputit:
Whatisitforsomebodywho'sherenextweektobethesamepersonasme?
What'sthenatureofpersonalidentity?
So,asIsay,atfirstglanceyoumightthinktogetclearontheanswer,"DoIormightIorcouldIsurvivemydeath?
"weneedtoknow,whatamI?
What'saperson?
What'sthemetaphysicalcompositionofpeople,ontheonehand?
Andweneedtogetclearonthenatureofidentityorpersistenceor,morespecifically,personalidentity.NowasIsay,Ibelievethatwhenpushcomestoshove,wedoneedtogetclearaboutbothofthosequestionsandsothat'sgoingtotakethefirstseveralweeksoftheclass.We'regoingtospendacoupleofweekstalkingabout,"What'saperson?
"Andthenwe'regoingtospendseveralweeks,oratleastaweekorso,talkingaboutthenatureofpersonalidentity.
Butbeforewecanevengetstarted,there'saquestion,reallyanobjectiontothewholeenterprise.Sowe'reabouttospendalotoftimeaskingthephilosophicalquestion:
Istherelifeafterdeath?
Couldtherebelifeafterdeath?
MightIsurvivemydeath?
Butthere'saphilosophicalobjectiontotheentirequestion.Andtheobjectionisfairlysimple.Itsaysthewholequestionismisconceived.It'sbasedonaconfusion.Onceweseetheconfusion,wecanseewhattheanswertoourquestionis.CouldIsurvivemydeath?
Theanswerhasgottobe--thisiswhattheobjectionsays--theanswerhasgottobe,obviouslynot.Allright,sohere'stheobjection.
Ishouldmentionthattheveryfirstreadingthatyou'regoingtobedoingisacoupleofpagesfromJayRosenberg,acontemporaryphilosopher.Hegivesusaversionofthisobjection.SoI'llgiveyouoneversion.You'llhaveanotherversioninyourreadings.Theobjectionbasicallysays:
Whatdoesitmeantosaythatsomebody'sdied?
We'reasking,"Istherelifeafterdeath?
"Whatdoesitmeantosaythatsomebodyhasdied?
Wellanaturaldefinitionofdeathmightbesomethingliketheendoflife.Sothen,ifthat'sright,thentoask,"Istherelifeafterdeath?
"isjustasking,"Istherelifeaftertheendoflife?
"Theanswertothatoughttobeprettyobvious.Well,obviously,theanswertothatisno.Afterall,ifwe'resayingonceyou'verunoutoflife,isthereanymorelife?
Well,duh!
That'slikeasking,whenI'veeatenupallthefoodonmyplate,isthereanyfoodleftonmyplate?
Orwhathappensinthemovieafterthemovieends?
Thesearestupidquestions,becauseonceyouunderstandwhatthey'reasking,theanswerisjustbuiltin.Itfollowstrivially.
Soalthoughithasseemedtopeopleovertheagesthatthequestion,"Istherelifeafterdeath?
"isoneofthegreatmysteries,oneofthegreatphilosophicalthingstoponder,theobjectionsaysthat'sakindofillusion.Infact,onceyouthinkaboutit,andnotallthatlong,youcanseetheanswer'sgottobeno.Therecouldn'tpossiblybelifeafterdeath.Therecouldn'tpossiblybelifeaftertheendoflife.
Orsupposeweaskthequestioninaslightlydifferentway.MightIsurvivemydeath?
Wellwhatdoestheword"survive"mean?
Well,surviveissomethinglikewesaythatsomebody'sasurvivorifsomething'shappenedandtheyhaven'tdied.They'restillalive.Whenthere'sacaraccident,youask,so-and-sodied,so-and-sosurvived.Thispersonsurvived.Tosaythattheysurvivedisjustsayingthatthey'restillalive.So,"MightIsurvivemydeath?
"islikeasking,"MightIstillbealiveafter"--wellwhat'sdeath?
Deathistheendoflife.So--"mightIstillbealiveafterI'vestoppedliving?
MightIbeoneofthepeoplewhodidn'tdiewhenIdied?
"Gosh,theanswertothatis,again,duh!
No.Youcouldn'tpossiblysurviveyourdeath,giventheverydefinition.
Itshouldremindusof--atleastitremindsmeofthisjokethatyouprobablytold.Itseemedhystericalwhenyouwereseven.TheplanecrashesexactlyontheborderofCanadaandtheUnitedStates.Exactlyontheborder.There'sdeadpeopleeverywhere.Wheredotheyburythesurvivors?
Theansweris:
Youdon'tburythesurvivors.Sowhenyou'resevenyouthink,"Idon'tknow.DotheyburytheminCanada?
DotheyburytheminAmerica?
"Theansweris:
Youdon'tburythesurvivors,becausesurvivorsarepeoplethathaven'tyetdied.So,"CanIsurvivemydeath?
"islikeasking,"CouldInothaveyetdiedafter鈥?
"Theansweris,ofcourse,youhavetohavediedif
youdiedandyouhaven'tsurvivedifyou'vedied.Sothequestioncan'tevengetofftheground.That,atleast,ishowtheobjectiongoes.
NowIdon'tmeantobeutterlydismissiveoftheobjection.That'swhyIspentacoupleofminutestryingtospellitout.ButIthinkthere'sawaytorespondtoit.We
justhavetogetcleareraboutwhatpreciselythequestionisthatwe'retryingtoask.ThisissomethingthatRosenbergtriestogetclearonaswell.Sohere'smyattempttomakethequestionbothabitmoreprecise,andaquestionthat'sanopenquestion.Aquestionwecanlegitimatelyraise.
Well,nowasyouwillhearonseveraloccasionsoverthecourseofthesemester,I'maphilosopher.WhatthatmeansisIdon'treallyknowawholelotoffacts.SoI'mabouttotellyouastorywhereIwishIknewthefacts.Idon'tknowthefacts.IfIcouldreallydoitright,I'dnowopenthedoorandbringinourguestphysiologist,whowouldthenprovidethefactsthatI'm--whatI'mabouttogois"blah,blah,blah."Butwehavethephysiologistcomeinandhe'dactuallytellusthesethings.Idon'tknowthem.Idon'thavethatperson.
Buttakealookatwhathappenswhenabodydies.Now,nodoubt,youcankillpeopleinalotofdifferentways.Youcanpoisonthem,youcanstranglethem,youcanshootthemintheheart.Thecausalpathsthatresultindeathmaystartdifferent,butIpresumethattheyconvergeandyouenduphavingasetofeventstakeplace.Nowwhatarethoseevents?
ThisisexactlywhereIdon'treallyknowthedetails,butItakeitit'ssomethinglike:
becauseofwhatevertheoriginalinputwas,eventuallytheblood'snolongercirculatingandoxygenisn'tmakingitswayaroundthebody.Sothebrainbecomesoxygen-starved.Becauseofthelackofoxygengettingtothecells,thecellsarenolongerabletocarryontheirvariousmetabolicprocesses.Becauseofthis,theycan'trepairthevariouskindsofdamagetheyneed,orcreatetheaminoacidsandproteinstheyneed.Soasdecaybeginstosetinandthecellstructuresbegintobreakdown,theydon'tgetrepairedastheywouldnormallydo,andsoeventuallyhavebreakdownofthecrucialcellstructureandboom,thebody'sdead.NowasIsay,Idon'treallyknowwhetherthat'saccurate,thelittleroughstoryIjusttold,butsomestorylikethatisprobablyright.
Andintypicalphilosophicalfashion,I'vedrawnthatstoryforyouuphereontheboard.[SeeFigure2.1.]SotheeventsthatIdon'treallyknowthedetailsof,wecanjustcallB1,B2,B3,upthroughBn.BeforeB1begins,you'vegotthebodyworking,functioning,initsbodilyway--respirating,reproducingthecells,andsoforthandsoon.Andattheendoftheprocess,byBn,thebody'sdead.Bforbodily.B1throughBn;that'swhatdeathis.Atleast,that'swhatdeathofthebodyis.AsIsay,it'sthesortofthingthatsomebodyfromthemedicalschoolorabiologistoraphysiologistorsomethingcoulddescribeforus.
Sohere'sthequestionthen.Supposewecallthatprocess"deathofthebody."Callwhathasoccurredbytheendofthatsequenceofevents,"bodilydeath."Nowhere'saquestionthatwecanstillask,atleastitlooksasthoughwecanstillaskit.MightI,ordoI,stillexistafterthedeathofmybody?
MightIstillexistafterbodilydeath?
Idon'tmeantosuggestinanywaythatweyetknowtheanswertothatquestion,butatleastthat'saquestionthatitseemsasthoughwecancoherently
raise.There'snoobviouscontradictioninasking:
MightIstillexistafterthedeathofmybody?
Theanswercouldturnouttobeno.Butatleastit'snotobviouslyno.Iftheanswerturnsouttobeno,it'sgoingtotakesomesustainedargumenttosettleitonewayortheother.Theanswercouldturnouttob
升级会员 