Derek Parfit

Derek Parfit was a British philosopher known for his influential ideas on personal identity, ethics, and morality. He argued that our identity over time doesn't rely on a single, unchanging self but rather on psychological continuity—memories, personality traits, and relationships. In meta-ethics, he explored moral reasons and how they can be independent of personal desires. Parfit also distinguished between normative ethics, which guides our actions, and moral psychology, how we think about morality. His work challenged traditional views and emphasized that understanding our connections to others is fundamental to ethical living and moral reasoning.