Objective:
The purpose of this assignment is to assess your understanding of theories of personal identity and to develop the following skills. This assignment assumes you have a good mastery of structure, signposting, citation and bibliography.
Skills:
o Understanding Memory, Soul, and Animalist theories of personal identity
o Applying theories of personal identity to a novel case study (the Garrett case)
o Developing writing skills
Resources: Refer to Stich and Donaldson book, Chapter 11.
Do NOT use the internet as a source. Use the Stich book only.
Task:
Write 4 paragraphs (approximately 500 words) about the following case:
Suppose that Garrett, a 35-year-old man, robs a bank and kills one of the bank guards. While driving away from the scene of the crime, Garrett loses control of his car and crashes into a brick wall. He is not wearing a seat belt, and he sustains a serious head injury which results in a total and permanent loss of memory of everything that has happened for the last 3 years. There is no chance he will ever regain his memory of these 3 years. A year after the robbery, Garrett is brought to trial.
Question: What would a memory theorist say about this case? Is the man on trial numerically identical with the man who robbed the bank? Is the man on trial morally responsible for the bank robbery and the murder? What would a soul theorist say?
Include the following:
1. Define and explain ONE of the Memory Theories of Personal Identity (version 1, 2, or 3 from Stich & Donaldson Chapter 11). (Definitions should be in quotation marks, word-for-word, followed by a citation.) Briefly explain this Memory Theory of personal identity.
2. Explain what a Memory Theorist of personal identity would say about the Garrett case. What would their position be, and why?
3. Explain what a Soul Theorist of personal identity would say about the Garrett case. What would their position be, and why?
4. Explain why the Soul Theorist and Memory Theorist might disagree with each other about the positions.
*Include citation (author, page number, year). Include bibliography at the end.
Tips and Requirements:
*Follow structure, including presenting information in the right order. Explain the scenario as if you were telling a friend. “See Professional writing: Structure.”
* Write in formal style with paragraphs that connect with signposting. Each paragraph should have one main focus. See Professional Writing Skills: Structure
* Read your paper out loud to someone or yourself to check for grammar mistakes.
*Explain short quotes fully. See Professional Writing: Quotes
Criteria for Success:
Your exercise will be evaluated on structure, whether your answer provides a substantive and accurate explanation of the theory, whether it provides a substantive and well-supported application of the theory to the case study, citation, bibliography, and mechanics.
