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Parfit thinks that the splitting cases show that identity is not important to us. Why? What does he think is important to us with regards to our future selves?

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Final answer:

Philosopher Derek Parfit argues that identity is not important to us based on the splitting cases. Instead, he believes that psychological continuity and connectedness are important with regards to our future selves.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to philosopher Derek Parfit, the splitting cases demonstrate that identity is not important to us. These cases involve hypothetical scenarios where a person is split into two identical copies. Parfit argues that we don't have a deep attachment to our personal identity because our sense of self is not solely based on physical continuity or biological factors. Instead, Parfit suggests that what is important to us with regards to our future selves is psychological continuity and connectedness - the ability to have a coherent narrative of our lives and to care about the well-being and experiences of our future selves.

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