Derek Parfit on Philosophy
Browse 4 quotations attributed to Derek Parfit, catalogued under Philosophy, with dates where available.
This page displays 4 quotations attributed to Derek Parfit and filed under "Philosophy" in QuoteLineage. The selection is ordered by stored importance and quality scores, not citation counts. A topic label describes how an entry is catalogued; it does not establish the theme's importance in the author's work.
Attributed to Derek Parfit, entry #76173: "On all plausible theories, everyone’s well-being consists at least in part in being happy, and avoiding suffering."
Attributed to Derek Parfit, entry #60815: "To be a person, a being must be self-conscious, aware of its identity and its continued existence over time."
4 Quotes by Derek Parfit on Philosophy
"On all plausible theories, everyone’s well-being consists at least in part in being happy, and avoiding suffering."
"To be a person, a being must be self-conscious, aware of its identity and its continued existence over time."
"Strawson describes two kinds of philosophy, descriptive, and revisionary. Descriptive philosophy gives reasons for what we instinctively assume, and explains and justifies the unchanging central core in our beliefs about ourselves, and the world we inhabit. I have great respect for descriptive philosophy. But, by temperament, I am a revisionist. Philosophers should not only interpret our beliefs; when they are false, they should change them."
"Why shouldn’t I eat toothpaste? It’s a free world. Why shouldn’t I chew my toenails? i happen to have trodden in some honey. Why shouldn’t I prance across central park with delicate sideways leaps? I know what your answer will be: “it isn’t done”. But it’s no earthly use just saying it isn’t done. If there’s a reason why it isn’t done, give the reason—if there’s no reason, don’t attempt to stop me doing it. All other things being equal, the mere fact that something “isn’t done” is in itself an excellent reason for doing it."