Derek Parfit: Split - Brain Cases and The Bundle Theory and Ego Theory, Slides of Philosophy

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D EREK PARFIT:

S PLIT-B RAIN C ASES AND THE

B UNDLE T HEORY

Joelle Adler

B UNDLE T HEORY

 Every person is a series of different states, events, thoughts, and sensations

 Unified through the actual experience and later memories

 “Like a bundle tied up with string” (Parfit, 352)

 There is no person separate from the brain and the body

 Not an intuitive view- rejected by most people

 Similar to Buddha's views

T HOUGHT E XPERIMENT

 Imagine that “teletransportation” is possible

 A machine scans your cells and is able to place an exact copy of you on another planet

 The machine destroys the original cells

 Is that copy still you? Has the “real you” actually died?

T HOUGHT E XPERIMENT

 What if only 1% of your cells were replaced?

 Many would say if only 1% were replaced, the person would still be you

 At what percentage of cells is the new being no longer you?

S PLIT-B RAIN C ASES

 What are split-brain cases?

 Video

 How many persons are involved in a split-brain patient? One, two, or zero?

 Ego Theory would argue that there are two separate egos but only one person

 Does Ego Theory still hold when “ego” is no longer the same as “person?”

S PLIT-B RAIN C ASES AS S UPPORT FOR THE

B UNDLE T HEORY

 Parfit and the Bundle Theory claim that there is no “person” involved

 Different awareness of events occurring at the same time, not different egos

 True for both split-brain patients and people with normal brains