Running head: VALIDITY OF NAGEL’S ARGUMENT Validity of Nagel’s Argument Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date 1 VALIDITY OF NAGEL’S ARGUMENT 2 Validity of Nagel’s Argument In philosophy, the question of what constitutes a person, and his life form is a troublesome one. This is because scholars have found it difficult to define concepts such as life, and existence, as well as abstract notions such as emotions, and the thought process. Therefore, philosophers have often differed on whether the human being is a primarily physical form, abstract form, or a combination of the two aspects. Nagel argues that he is the product of his brain, and that he is simply his brain in its different states (Schwerin, 2015). This argument dissociates the brain from the body, and considers it paramount, for, without it, Nagel argues that one’s existence cannot be conceived (Schwerin, 2015). He goes ahead to argue that when he says that he is his brain, it must be understood to mean that he refers to the brain, and any other inferences of the meaning of the statement must be actively shunned. Therefore, even if the statement accidentally implies his whole self rather than the brain alone, it must be perceived as though he is only referring to the brain (Schwerin, 2015). This has been critiqued by various scholars such as Parfit, and Alan Kenneth Schwerin. This paper examines the article by Schwerin (2015) in a bid to clarify that Nagel’s argument is not valid. One of th ...
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