On February 4-5, the Department of Philosophy hosted a conference on the topic of “Persons, Selves, and Organisms.” The keynote speakers were Eric Olson (University of Sheffield) and Hong Yu Wong (University of Tübingen).
Prof. Olson’s talk on “The Metaphysics of Transhumanism” critically examined the view that it is possible (or will be possible) to upload ourselves to computers, while Prof. Wong’s discussion of “Embodiment” presented some recent empirical research on our relation to our bodies, and the relation of this research to metaphysical theories of personal identity.