Conditions of identity for organisms

José Tomás Alvarado, Cristóbal Unwin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

in this work it is proposed that the conditions of identity for biological organisms are given by the following principle: for all organisms x and y, x = y if and only if x has been caused by the self-preserving activity of y. This principle determines both the inter-temporal identity of organisms and the identity of organism in different possible worlds. It unifies what can be supposed about conditions of identity coming from-at least-three different conceptions about the nature of biological organisms, those of RobertWilson, Thomas Pradeu and Ellen Clarke. These conceptions are presented and compared.

Translated title of the contributionCondiciones de identidad para organismos
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13-40
Number of pages28
JournalPrincipia
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biological individuals
  • Biological organisms
  • Identity in time
  • Individuals
  • Organisms

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Conditions of identity for organisms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this