The Nature of Persons

These flashcards cover essential concepts related to personal identity, personhood, and moral considerations discussed in the lecture.

Personal Identity

The concept concerning which individuals remain one and the same person over time.

Persistence

Continued existence or the state of remaining unchanged over time.

Metaphysical Personhood

A non-evaluative descriptive notion of personhood discussing the nature of a person’s existence.

Moral Personhood

Also known as moral standing, it refers to deserving moral consideration.

Legal Personhood

Refers to the status of being a subject of legal rights and obligations.

Person Stage

A temporal slice of a person, representing an individual at a specific moment in time.

Species Accounts

A theory stating that being a member of the human species is a condition for moral standing.

Mental Capacity Accounts

A theory suggesting that the possession of certain mental abilities is required for moral standing.

Nihilism

The belief that nothing persists, including persons, as everything is in constant flux.

Rationalism

The thesis that all and only rational beings have moral standing.

Sentience

The capability of conscious experience, including awareness of pain and pleasure.

The Puzzle of Personal Identity

A philosophical question on how we understand our existence as the same person over time despite changes.

The Speciesism Objection

Discrimination based on biological category, analogous to racism or sexism.

Locke's Definition of Person

A person is a self-aware rational being, capable of reflection across different times and places.

The Mirror Test

An experiment used to determine self-awareness in animals by checking if they can recognize themselves in a mirror.

Anencephaly

A congenital disorder where a baby is born without parts of their brain and skull.

Psychological Accounts

Theories explaining personal persistence based on mental continuity and psychological factors.

Physical Accounts

Theories explaining personal persistence based on physical continuity or the body.

Moral Obligation

The duty to consider the well-being and rights of others, creating a moral community.