biography

Todd May, “Our Practices”

Todd May is a living professional philosopher. We are looking at this chapter for a few reasons. First, its subject on the self and personal identity is within our ongoing theme so far. Second, it suggests a different (but also pedestrian) answer to the question of personal identity than our other readings. Third, it is meant to convey how a philosopher can provide a more sustained argument and defense of his position than the other readings.

In a nutshell, May’s view on personal identity suggests that two questions are necessarily linked: Who am I? Who are we? In fact, there is no answering the first question without the second. The reason, on his view, is that we are our practices; that I am one who engages in practices; and that practices are necessarily social in at least some aspects.

Practices have four aspects. As he defines it on page 8, a practice is a:

1. Regularity (or regularities) of behavior,

2. Usually goal-directed,

3. That is socially-normatively governed.

Later, on page 14, he identifies the fourth aspect by suggesting that practices are:

1. Discursive: they involve the use of language.

He goes on to describe the nature of practices and these aspects. Some further topics of discussion include how:

• Some roles in practices can be identical, while others are complementary

• One may participate in a practice even if one would rather not recognize it or find it meaningful

• His view is different from the “secret self”

• His view is different from having “metaphysical depth”

• Most people lack uniqueness – and what it takes to actually be unique

• Practices relate to communities, civil society, and culture

In the end, who I am may be nothing more (or at least not much more) than the particular set of practices in which I partake. Or put differently: I am a node in a set of intersecting and overlapping practices.