Human Identity and Bioethics

When philosophers address personal identity, they usually explore numerical identity: what are the criteria for a person's continuing existence? When non-philosophers address personal identity, they often have in mind narrative identity: Which characteristics of a particular person are salient to her self-conception? This book develops accounts of both senses of identity, arguing that both are normatively important, and is unique in its exploration of a range of issues in bioethics through the lens of identity. Defending a biological view of our numerical identity and a framework for understanding narrative identity, DeGrazia investigates various issues for which considerations of identity prove critical: the definition of death; the authority of advance directives in cases of severe dementia; the use of enhancement technologies; prenatal genetic interventions; and certain types of reproductive choices. He demonstrates the power of personal identity theory to illuminate issues in bioethics as they bring philosophical theory to life.

1. Introduction; 2. Human persons: numerical identity and essence; 3. Human persons: narrative identity and self-creation; 4. Identity, what we are, and the definition of death; 5. Advance directives, dementia, and the someone else problem; 6. Enhancement technologies and self-creation; 7. Prenatal identity: genetic interventions, reproductive choices.

When philosophers address personal identity, they usually explore numerical identity: what are the criteria for a person's continuing existence? When non-philosophers address it, they often have in mind narrative identity: which characteristics of a particular person are salient to her self-conception? This book develops accounts of both senses of identity.