Trinh Le

Too-Many-Thinkers and Psychological Continuity

Started Oct. 27, 2025

Abstract or project description

Personal identity is what makes an individual the same over time. Solving the problem of personal identity involves spelling exactly to what personal identity amounts. There are many key theories addressing this problem, one being the psychological continuity theory. Psychological continuity theory holds that personal identity persists as a function of continuity between memories and other mental states. A key challenge that faces the psychological continuity theory, however, is the Too-Many-Thinkers Problem. The Too-Many-Thinkers Problem proposes that there are two thinkers occupying the same human body, the person and the animal; as a result it can be a challenge for psychological continuity views, as it is unclear whether it is the person or the animal with the relevant continuity of mental life. This paper seeks to examine C. S. Sutton’s solution to the Too-Many-Thinkers Problem, particularly her solution to the personal pronoun reference problem. I argue that Sutton’s argument concerning the personal pronoun reference problem is not adequately substantiated. The findings of the paper suggest that a neo-Lockean view, a variant of the Psychological Continuity theory, is more compelling than alternatives and can surmount the Too-Many-Thinkers Problem.

How are Donald Hoffman’s Interface Theory, Heisenberg Cut, David Bohm’s Implicate Order, and Vacuum Genesis similar to Buddhist Philosophies?

Started Mar. 21, 2025

Abstract or project description

The goal of this paper is to analyze the similarities between quantum physics and Buddhist philosophy, focusing on ideas that challenge standard views of reality. For example, both Yogācāra Buddhism and Donald Hoffman’s Interface Theory propose that the world we perceive is not objective reality but rather a constructed interface. Similarly, the Buddhist concept of Vikalpa—the mental act of dividing seamless experiences—resembles Heisenberg’s Cut, a theoretical boundary separating the realms of quantum and classical physics. David Bohm’s Implicate Order suggests an underlying interconnected reality, echoing the Buddhist notion of pratītyasamutpāda (interdependence). However, while vacuum genesis describes the universe’s emergence from quantum fluctuations ex nihilo, Buddhism’s concept of samsara presents a cyclical view of the universe. These parallels suggest that reality is not fixed and permanent, instead, it is shaped by consciousness and perception.