261039 What does it mean to be a person? (S) (WiSe 2008/2009)

What does it mean to be a person and what does it mean to stay one over time? This issue is part of theoretical as well as practical philosophy. It includes ontological questions of whether a person is identical with its mind, brain or body, questions relating to the identity of persons over time, and it is an issue that is related to foundational problems of morality. If a person has, in contrast to a thing or an animal, moral rights and duties, must it have consciousness, freedom, intentionality or rationality, and if so, in which form? Is a person identical to an individual? Or does a person only exist as part of a dialogical relationship with other individuals? These are the questions that will be adressed in the seminar. We will read and discuss seminal papers from the 20th century. We will thereby also see how a more-or-less coherent philosphical debate unfolds itself over the years.

Eine Leistungsbescheinigung (BA-oder Master of Education-Studiengang) wird ausgestellt für: Referat und schriftliche Ausarbeitung des Referats.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

To read and discuss texts in English.

Literaturangaben

A reader will be provided.