Personal Identity, the Self and Ethics

Going beyond the present controversy surrounding personhood in various non-philosophical contexts, this book seeks to defend the renewed philosophical interest in issues connected with this topic and the need for a more credible philosophical conception of the person. Taking the theory of John Locke as a starting point and in dialogue with contemporary philosophers such as Derek Parfit and P.F. Strawson, the authors develop an original philosophical anthropology based on the writings of Charles Hartshorne and A.N. Whitehead. The authors then show the implications for ethics of this conception of the person and the self.

FERDINAND SANTOS was Professor of Philosophy at the Archdiocesan Major Seminary, Manila, Philippines, and is presently teaching philosophy and theology at Providence College, Rhode Island, USA. He has published books and articles in philosophy.
SANTIAGO SIA is Dean of Philosophy at Milltown Institute (a recognised college of the National University of Ireland), Dublin, Ireland. He was for many years Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. A well established scholar, he has published several books/articles in philosophy of religion, in ethics, and in process thought.

Introduction * John Locke’s Account of Person and Personal Identity * Personal Identity and the Unity and Uniqueness of the Self * A Critique of the Ontology of Substance * The Fallacy of Simple Location and the Ontologies of Substance and Event * Methodological Considerations * The Structure of an Event as Creative Synthesis * Ethics and the Mnemonic Structure of Persons * The Social Structure of Persons * Conclusion