Courses

In this course, we examine major modern and contemporary thinkers addressing fundamental metaphysical questions about personhood, identity, and the self. We begin with Thomas Nagel’s provocative claim that death is an evil, then turn to Harry Frankfurt’s account of what distinguishes people from mere conscious beings. We consider John Locke’s revolutionary theory of personal identity over time and ask whether identity could persist through radically different bodily forms—or even virtual ones, as in mind uploading—challenging the finality that troubles Nagel. We also explore our place in spacetime and the multiverse, including the possibility of four-dimensional beings and time travel, and confront the question of whether any genuine self exists at all. Readings include selections from Derek Parfit, John Searle, and Peter van Inwagen, along with essays by David Velleman, Marya Schechtman, and Greg Egan. By the end, students will have a clear understanding of leading historical and contemporary views on the nature of the mind and the self.