Derek Parfit

Abstract

Metaphysical inquiries into personal identity, free will, and the passage of time provide a necessary foundation for practical reason and ethical deliberation. Rational concern is not merely a function of subjective desires but is constrained by objective facts. Under a Reductionist framework, personal identity consists solely in physical and psychological continuity; it is not an independent, determinate further fact. Traditional concerns regarding self-preservation are thus misplaced, as psychological survival, rather than identity, constitutes what is practically significant. This perspective renders identity disputes “empty” conceptual exercises rather than substantive ontological debates. Furthermore, the human bias toward the future and reactive attitudes such as indignation rely on metaphysical assumptions that may be indefensible. If time’s passage is an illusion and determinism precludes desert, these attitudes lack rational justification. Integrating an impersonal conceptual scheme—paralleling certain Buddhist traditions—realigns moral and emotional responses with the underlying metaphysical reality. Such a shift in perspective offers a more accurate understanding of the self and potentially mitigates the existential distress associated with mortality and the progression of time. – AI-generated abstract.