On Myself, and Other, Less Important Subjects (ebook)

Argumento de On Myself, and Other, Less Important Subjects (ebook)

"This short book raises all the big questions that drive much of modern philosophy--metaphysical questions regarding personal identity, solipsism, and self-consciousness; and normative questions concerning what one should value and how one should act. Written clearly, but technically, this often-illustrated volume not only will provoke debates on key issues in contemporary philosophy, but also offers well-defended solutions to those debates."--Choice

"[A] short, stylish, and ingenious monograph."--Rory Madden, Mind

"This attention-grabbing book touches on a large number of ethical and ontological issues. Its conclusion is prima facie absurd but, in spite of its implausibility, the theory meets with surprisingly few objections."--Berit Brogaard, Australian National University and University of Missouri, St. Louis

"Discussion of the metaphysics of perspective in the twentieth century was dominated by an antirealism outlined by Russell, Reichenbach, and Quine, and filled in by Kaplan, Lewis, and Perry: the game was to push me, here, and now out of the world and into our representations. The realist pushback has been gathering over the last decade, with special attention to temporal perspective. The present work is the first sustained treatment of the arguably more fundamental case of personal perspective. Its lively style and brevity ensure quick and rapt reading, and the nontechnical presentation makes the discussion accessible."--Benj Hellie, University of Toronto

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 20100Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi

Chapter 1: Self-Interest and Self-Importance 1
1.1 Confl icting Considerations 2
1.2 The Way Forward 8

Chapter 2: Time- Bias and the Metaphysics of Time 9
2.1 The Peacemaker's Response 14

Chapter 3: Egocentrism and Egocentric Metaphysics 19
3.1 Egocentric Presentism--an Introduction 21
3.2 Semantics for a Logic of Points of View 23
3.3 Egocentric Presentism and Points of View 27
3.4 Egocentric Presentism and Egocentric Considerations 30
3.5 Can We Resolve All Confl icts This Way? 37

Chapter 4: Clarifi cations 41
4.1 Ontological Commitments 41
4.2 Presence and Consciousness 42
4.3 Presence and Time 46
4.4 The Intelligibility of the Notion of Monadic Presence 50
4.5 Making Sense of What Other People Believe and Say 52

Chapter 5: A Problem about Personal Identity over Time 57
5.1 Judgments from the Outside and Inside 57
5.2 Making Sense of Our Judgments from the Outside and Inside 62
5.3 Error Theories 70

Chapter 6: The Solution 73
6.1 Judgments from the Inside Do Not Concern Personal Identity over Time 73
6.2 De Se Ignorance 76
6.3 The Solution 81
6.4 Dread, Existential and Anticipatory 86

Chapter 7: Skepticism and Humility 91
7.1 Skepticism 91
7.2 Humility 96
7.3 Wrapping Up 98

Notes 99
References 107
Index 111