The Extension of Personal Identity and Personhood

This thesis argues that personal identity and personhood can be conceived of as extended, following in line with arguments presented that claim that cognition and minds extend beyond the skin-and-skull boundary of the body. This thesis endeavors to first exposit and analyze the Hypothesis of Extended Cognition (HEC), as well as analyzing arguments that push back against this hypothesis. Arguments are provided to show that objections against HEC and the Extended-mind Corollary Thesis, the extended self thesis (EST), do not hold up. The claim is made that EST and HEC remain tenable theses. The thesis proposes to read EST through the concepts of personal identity and personhood. Argumentation is provided to support the claim that, under certain analyses, personal identity and personhood can be conceived of as extended. This is supported through the examination of several contemporary accounts of personal identity and personhood.