Memory Without Shelter: Cloning, Memory Transfer, and Why Psychological Continuity Is Not Enough

Memory Without Shelter examines one of the central questions in contemporary philosophy of personal identity: is psychological continuity sufficient for the persistence of a person? Building upon Derek Parfit's Relation R and the neo-Lockean tradition, the paper develops a thought experiment involving the transfer of a complete psychological profile to a biologically mature clone without prior experiential history. The article argues that preserving memories, beliefs and psychological dispositions is not sufficient to preserve the person. It proposes Historical Constitutivism as an alternative account, according to which personal identity depends upon the irreducible integration of psychological states, first-person consciousness and causal-historical trajectory. This work is part of the broader philosophical research project Foundations of Constitutive Ontology. Author:Eduardo Patriota Project:Foundations of Constitutive Ontology https://www.eduardopatriota.com.br/foundations/

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21764984
Primary Topic
Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
Type
preprint
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preprint

Memory Without Shelter: Cloning, Memory Transfer, and Why Psychological Continuity Is Not Enough

Eduardo Patriota
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
preprint

Memory Without Shelter: Cloning, Memory Transfer, and Why Psychological Continuity Is Not Enough

Eduardo Patriota
preprint en

Abstract

Memory Without Shelter examines one of the central questions in contemporary philosophy of personal identity: is psychological continuity sufficient for the persistence of a person? Building upon Derek Parfit's Relation R and the neo-Lockean tradition, the paper develops a thought experiment involving the transfer of a complete psychological profile to a biologically mature clone without prior experiential history. The article argues that preserving memories, beliefs and psychological dispositions is not sufficient to preserve the person. It proposes Historical Constitutivism as an alternative account, according to which personal identity depends upon the irreducible integration of psychological states, first-person consciousness and causal-historical trajectory. This work is part of the broader philosophical research project Foundations of Constitutive Ontology. Author:Eduardo Patriota Project:Foundations of Constitutive Ontology https://www.eduardopatriota.com.br/foundations/

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Teach Democracy (US)
Reduced inequalities
Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
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