The Repugnant Conclusion
David Edmonds on the life and philosophy of Derek Parfit
In this episode, Samuel Arbesman is excited to welcome David Edmonds back to the podcast. Dave is the cohost of the Philosophy Bites podcast as well as the bestselling author of numerous books about philosophy. Last time they spoke about his book Death in a Shallow Pond: A Philosopher, A Drowning Child, and Strangers in Need, and this time they discuss Parfit, his biography of the philosopher Derek Parfit, one of the most influential moral philosophers of the modern era. The book explores the life and philosophy of Parfit, and is simply delightful — a wonderful exploration of Parfit’s personality, his ideas, and his relationships with others.
Dave and Samuel discuss what prompted him to write this book and the origins of the biography, as well as his personal relationship to Derek Parfit and Parfit’s wife, the philosopher Janet Radcliffe Richards. They explore Parfit’s philosophy on personal identity, self-defeating moral theories, and non-identity and population ethics. But they also discuss Parfit as a person, including how he changed over his life and his combination of extreme kindness and self-absorption. They even explore how All Souls College at Oxford was the ideal place for a genius such as Parfit.