Philosophical Perspectives on Identity

Abstract

The talk explores the concept of identity from a philosophical perspective, critically discussing the notions of absolute identity, relative identity and identity over time. It presents classic problems from the metaphysics of identity, such as the paradoxes of change, the Ship of Theseus and the Problem of the Many, examining different criteria of identity and the role of conceptual vagueness. The work contrasts three dimensional theories, based on endurance, with four dimensional ones, based on perdurance and stage theory, looking at how each deals with intrinsic and extrinsic change in objects. It closes on the relation between identity and similarity, arguing for a contextual, observer dependent and potentially vague view of identity, with direct implications for how identity is understood in computational and digital systems.