Table Of ContentROUTLEDGE STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
Narrative Identity, Autonomy,
and Mortality
From Frankfurt and
MacIntyre to Kierkegaard
John J. Davenport
Narrative Identity,
Autonomy, and Mortality
Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy
1 Email and Ethics 9 Aesthetics and Material Beauty
Style and Ethical Relations Aesthetics Naturalized
in Computer-Mediated Jennifer A. McMahon
Communication
Emma Rooksby 10 Aesthetic Experience
Edited by Richard Shusterman
2 Causation and Laws of Nature and Adele Tomlin
Max Kistler
11 Real Essentialism
3 Internalism and Epistemology David S. Oderberg
The Architecture of Reason
Timothy McGrew and 12 Practical Identity and
Lydia McGrew Narrative Agency
Edited by Catriona Mackenzie
4 Einstein, Relativity and and Kim Atkins
Absolute Simultaneity
Edited by William Lane Craig 13 Metaphysics and the
and Quentin Smith Representational Fallacy
Heather Dyke
5 Epistemology Modalized
Kelly Becker 14 Narrative Identity and
Moral Identity
6 Truth and Speech Acts A Practical Perspective
Studies in the Philosophy Kim Atkins
of Language
Dirk Greimann and Geo Siegwart 15 Intergenerational Justice
Rights and Responsibilities in
7 A Sense of the World an Intergenerational Polity
Essays on Fiction, Narrative, Janna Thompson
and Knowledge
Edited by John Gibson, 16 Hillel Steiner and the
Wolfgang Huemer, and Luca Pocci Anatomy of Justice
Themes and Challenges
8 A Pragmatist Philosophy Edited by Stephen de Wijze,
of Democracy Matthew H. Kramer, and
Robert B. Talisse Ian Carter
17 Philosophy of Personal Identity 28 Pluralism and Liberal Politics
and Multiple Personality Robert B. Talisse
Logi Gunnarsson
29 Kant and Education
18 The Force of Argument Interpretations and Commentary
Essays in Honor of Timothy Smiley Edited by Klas Roth and
Jonathan Lear and Alex Oliver Chris W. Surprenant
19 Autonomy and Liberalism 30 Feminism, Psychoanalysis,
Ben Colburn and Maternal Subjectivity
Alison Stone
20 Habermas and Literary
Rationality 31 Civility in Politics and Education
David L. Colclasure Edited by Deborah S. Mower,
Wade L. Robison
21 Rawls, Citizenship, and Education
M. Victoria Costa 32 Philosophical Inquiry into
Pregnancy, Childbirth,
22 Objectivity and the Language- and Mothering
Dependence of Thought Maternal Subjects
A Transcendental Defence of Edited by Sheila Lintott and
Universal Lingualism Maureen Sander-Staudt
Christian Barth
33 Authenticity as an Ethical Ideal
23 Habermas and Rawls Somogy Varga
Disputing the Political
Edited by James Gordon Finlayson 34 The Philosophy of Curiosity
and Fabian Freyenhagen Ilhan Inan
24 Philosophical Delusion and 35 Self-Realization and Justice
its Therapy A Liberal-Perfectionist Defense
Outline of a Philosophical of the Right to Freedom from
Revolution Employment
Eugen Fischer Julia Maskivker
25 Epistemology and the 36 Narrative Identity,
Regress Problem Autonomy, and Mortality
Scott F. Aikin From Frankfurt and MacIntyre
to Kierkegaard
26 Civil Society in Liberal John J. Davenport
Democracy
Mark Jensen
27 The Politics of Logic
Badiou, Wittgenstein, and the
Consequences of Formalism
Paul M. Livingston
Narrative Identity,
Autonomy, and Mortality
From Frankfurt and MacIntyre
to Kierkegaard
John J. Davenport
NEW YORK LONDON
First published 2012
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
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© 2012 Taylor & Francis
The right of John J. Davenport to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Davenport, John J., 1966–
Narrative identity, autonomy, and mortality : from Frankfurt and
MacIntyre to Kierkegaard / by John J. Davenport.
p. cm. — (Routledge studies in contemporary philosophy ; 36)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
1. Kierkegaard, Søren, 1813–1855. 2. Identity (Philosophical
concept) 3. Narration (Rhetoric) 4. Autonomy (Philosophy) I. Title.
B4377.D37 2011
126—dc23
2011039882
ISBN13: 978-0-415-89413-5 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-203-12594-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by IBT Global.
Printed and bound in the United States of America on sustainably sourced
paper by IBT Global.
To my beloved children,
Claire and Rebecca.
And to my dear parents,
Sue and Lou.
Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Sigla to Kierkegaard Works xvii
1 Introduction: Autonomy, Practical Identity,
Self, and Character 1
1 Existential Approaches to Personal
Autonomy as Deep Responsibility 1
2 An Overview of Main Themes and the Structure of the Analysis 7
3 Practical Identity as the Issue:
Parfi t, Williams, Korsgaard, and Schechtman 10
4 Galen Strawson’s Episodic Self and Continuity of
Consciousness 19
5 Finishing the Preliminaries:
The Present Self and the Concept of Character 29
2 Narrative Realism about Practical Identity 38
1 Key Ontological and Practical Objections to Narrative
Theories 38
2 Three Levels of Narrative Unity 41
2.1 Rudd and the Narrative Implications
of Contemporary Action Theory 41
2.2 Levels 0 and 1: Consciousness and Planning Agency 45
3 Literature vs Life: the Hard Problem for Narrative Theories 49
3.1 Williams’ Flawed Critique of MacIntyre 49
3.2 Lippitt, Sartre, and the Logos Fallacy:
Four Basic Theses of Narrative Realism 52
3.3 Constructivist Theories, Fictionalism,
and the Logos Fallacy 59
4 The Defense of Narrative Realism:
Towards a Viable Alternative 64
4.1 Carr and Ricoeur 64
