John Perry's "Dialogue On Personal Identity and Immortality" Dilemma

     What is identity? Moreover, what constitutes having one? In John Perry’s, “Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality” the characters consider a case where a woman named Julia has her healthy brain transplanted into the body of another woman, Mary. A dilemma is then posed, who survives this operation? To be specific, whose identity survives? I will begin by defining identity in terms of subjectivity and objectivity. Then, I will explain why I have defined it in that certain way. Lastly, with the definition formed, I will use it to defend my argument; the survivor of the operation cannot be identified wholly as neither Julia nor Mary. Identity is a largely debated topic in the faculty of philosophy, and I present to you one angle of comprehension.