Introduction to the collection

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces Derek Parfit’s Reasons and Persons (R&P), whereas the second includes chapters that critically discuss recurring ideas in R&P. It deals with the intent of collecting works in various fields of philosophy that further elaborate on some of R&P’s principal themes and ideas. The book considers whether Buddhist Reductionism, a philosophical project grounded in the idea that persons can be reduced to a set of bodily, sensory, perceptual, dispositional and conscious elements, provides support for Parfit’s psychological criterion for personal identity. It provides some important theoretical issues related to the Self-interest theory. The book examines the role that self-consciousness plays in mediating both self-concern and concern for others, offering an argument for how reductionism about substantive or enduring selves may be reconciled with the seemingly irreducible character of self-consciousness.