{"product_id":"the-essence-of-the-self-by-geoffrey-madell-9781138823945","title":"The Essence of the Self","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this volume, Geoffrey Madell develops a revised account of the self, making a compelling case for why the \"simple\" or \"anti-criterial\" view of personal identity warrants a robust defense. Madell critiques recent discussions of the self for focusing on features which are common to all selves, and which therefore fail to capture the uniqueness of each self.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn establishing his own view of personal identity, Madell proposes: (a) that there is always a gap between ‘A is \u003ci\u003ef\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eg’\u003c\/i\u003e and ‘\u003ci\u003eI\u003c\/i\u003e am \u003ci\u003ef\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eg’\u003c\/i\u003e; (b) that a complete description of the world offered without recourse to indexicals will fail to account for the contingent truth that \u003ci\u003eI\u003c\/i\u003e am one of the persons described; and (c) that an account of conscious perspectives on the world must take into account what it means for an apparently arbitrary one of these perspectives to be \u003ci\u003emine\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEngaging with contemporary positions on the first person, embodiment, psychological continuity, and other ongoing arguments, Madell contends that there can be no such thing as a criterion of personal identity through time, that no bodily or psychological continuity approach to the issue can succeed, and that personal identity through time must be absolute, not a matter of degree.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMadell’s view that the nature of the self is substantively different from that of objects in the world will generate significant discussion and debate among philosophers of mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47607938941164,"sku":"9781138823945","price":376.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781138823945-the-essence-of-the-self.jpg?v=1778180532","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-essence-of-the-self-by-geoffrey-madell-9781138823945","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}