Who am I when I don't know who I am? The problem of personal identity in infants and elderly with cognitive disabilities

Abstract

This article addresses the problem of whether we can speak of personal identity in cases of infants or elderly with cognitive disabilities as hydrocephaly or dementia, lives that could be considered borderline in terms of personal identity because they lack certain characteristics normally considered indispensable for personal life. Taking as a reference recent discussions on personal identity, particularly the narrative theories of Hilde Lindemann, Françoise Baylis and Marya Schechtman, the article analyses in what sense, under what assumptions, and in what way such a thing could be defended. Finally, some problems and objections to these approaches are considered.