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Split Brains and Atomic Persons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

James Moor
James Moor*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy Dartmouth College
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Abstract

Many have claimed that split-brain patients are actually two persons. I maintain that both the traditional separation argument and the more recent sophistication argument for the two persons interpretation are inadequate on conceptual grounds. An autonomy argument is inadequate on empirical grounds. Overall, theoretical and practical consequences weigh heavily in favor of adopting a one person interpretation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , March 1982 , pp. 91 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

I am indebted to many for comments and criticisms on this paper. In particular, I thank James Bernat, Charles Culver, Michael Gazzaniga, Joseph LeDoux, Charles Marks, Alexander Reeves, Donald Wilson and the journal referees.

References

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