Right. I think that one can use one’s own concept of identity to solve these problems, but that which you use is very difficult to put into words. Much like your functional definition of “hand,” or “heap.” I expect that no person is going to write a verbal definition of “hand” that satisfies me, and yet I am willing to accept peoples’ judgments on handiness as evidence.
On the other hand, we can use good philosophy about identity-as-concept to avoid making mistakes, much like how we can avoid certain mistaken arguments about morality merely by knowing that morality is something we have, not something imposed upon us, without using any particular facts about our morality.
Right. I think that one can use one’s own concept of identity to solve these problems, but that which you use is very difficult to put into words. Much like your functional definition of “hand,” or “heap.” I expect that no person is going to write a verbal definition of “hand” that satisfies me, and yet I am willing to accept peoples’ judgments on handiness as evidence.
On the other hand, we can use good philosophy about identity-as-concept to avoid making mistakes, much like how we can avoid certain mistaken arguments about morality merely by knowing that morality is something we have, not something imposed upon us, without using any particular facts about our morality.