Most people, including Parfit formerly, are naturally Non-Reductionists who mistakenly believe that their continued existence is a deep, all‑or‑nothing further fact distinct from physical and psychological continuity.

By Derek Parfit, from Les raisons et les personnes

Key Arguments

  • Parfit claims that 'most of us are Non-Reductionists' even if we are not explicitly aware of holding this view.
  • He says that, when we consider his imagined cases, we are 'strongly inclined to believe that our continued existence is a deep further fact, distinct from physical and psychological continuity, and a fact that must be all-or-nothing.'
  • He immediately denies this natural inclination with 'This is not true.', asserting that the Non-Reductionist conception of a deep further fact is an error.

Source Quotes

95. LIBERATION FROM THE SELF THE truth is very different from what we are inclined to believe. Even if we are not aware of this, most of us are Non-Reductionists. If we considered my imagined cases, we would be strongly inclined to believe that our continued existence is a deep further fact, distinct from physical and psychological continuity, and a fact that must be all-or-nothing.
Even if we are not aware of this, most of us are Non-Reductionists. If we considered my imagined cases, we would be strongly inclined to believe that our continued existence is a deep further fact, distinct from physical and psychological continuity, and a fact that must be all-or-nothing. This is not true.
If we considered my imagined cases, we would be strongly inclined to believe that our continued existence is a deep further fact, distinct from physical and psychological continuity, and a fact that must be all-or-nothing. This is not true. Is the truth depressing?

Key Concepts

  • THE truth is very different from what we are inclined to believe. Even if we are not aware of this, most of us are Non-Reductionists.
  • we would be strongly inclined to believe that our continued existence is a deep further fact, distinct from physical and psychological continuity, and a fact that must be all-or-nothing.
  • This is not true.

Context

Opening of Section 95 ('LIBERATION FROM THE SELF'), where Parfit restates the ordinary Non‑Reductionist attitude toward personal identity that his Reductionist View denies.