Time Regained Part. II: Epistemological Perspectives
Summary
The problem of transtemporal personal identity delves into the criteria required for the same person to exist at different times. Most responses to this issue rely on a common assumption: identity is an all-or-nothing matter. This assumption is often driven by the idea that personal identity can be known from first-person perspective, leaving no room for indeterminacy. The primary goal of this project is to challenge this assumption by presenting cases where one can reasonably doubt personal identity: cases of extreme longevity and brain fission. These cases pave the way for potential indeterminacy in personal identity and the possibility of possessing (quasi-)memories from experiences lived by non-identical persons.
The second goal of this project is to extend the discussion beyond the question of transtemporal personal identity to examine the role of memory in shaping our beliefs about time generally. The question posed is: “Is memory alone sufficient to explain our ordinary beliefs about time (e.g., the belief that time passes)?”. Contrary to some theories influenced by recent scientific findings, the aim is to demonstrate that while memory plays a crucial role in explanation, it requires the existence of an underlying dynamic reality. This dynamicity, not a priori excluded by certain emerging programs of theoretical physics, is crucial for our understanding of time and identity.
Schedule and milestones
Sub-project 1
Paper 1: ‘Epistemic Indeterminacy within Identity’
- Preliminary discussion with Pr. A. Meylan (February 2024)
- In-depth discussion in ZEGRa/eidos/GEMresearch groups (April 2024)
- Submission to Philosophical Studies (May 2024)
- Participation to an international conference (between May and September 2024).
Paper2: ‘Personal Identity’ (Encyclopedia Entry)
- Preliminary discussion (April 2024)
- In-depth discussion in ZEGRa/eidos/GEMresearch groups (June 2024)
- Submission to the Encyclopédie Philosophique (August 2024)
Sub-project 2
Paper 3: ‘Memory and Temporal Phenomena’
- Preliminary discussion with Pr. A. Meylan (August 2024)
- In-depth discussion in ZEGRa/eidos/GEMresearch groups (November 2024)
- Submission to Noûs (December 2024)
- Participation in an international conference (between November 2024 and January 2025)
- International Workshop ‘Persons in Time’ (co-organized with Pr. A. Meylan), hosted at the University of Zurich (in collaboration of with ZEGRa) (December 2024).