A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON THE PERCEPTION OF THE IRREPLACEABLE CHARACTER OF A PERSON

Abstract

The present interdisciplinary study aims to explore our understanding of the irreplaceable character of the person among adults. We interviewed 10 adults between 25 and 46 years old, of both sexes, who had been living together with a partner for at least 1 year (considering that a relationship is expected to be a significant bond). We carried out a series of interviews to collect their reactions and comments on a fictional episode whose plot addresses the possibility of replacing a person with a software or a robot (episode “Be Right Back”, Black Mirror). The categories that emerged from the qualitative analysis were: shock, reality-unreality,
irreplaceable, intuition. The article discusses these findings in light of one aspect of the philosophical problem of the personal identity. The analysis suggests that there is a strong intuitive perception of the character of each person and, therefore, they are irreplaceable. However, this robust perception was not accompanied by an equally clear justification when it came to define the root or base of such identity. Even though it certainly does not solve the debate, in our interpretation this conveys plausibility to the simple approach, which argues that personal identity is a primitive fact, non-reducible to physical or mental qualities. We also point out a possible continuation of this study.