Locke on Persons and Personal Identity offers a fresh perspective on Locke's accounts of personal identity within the context of his broader philosophical ideas and the philosophical debates of his day.

the most advanced and articulate study to date of personal identity in Locke: capable not only of arguing with the major current interpreters, but also of giving a very broad account of the Lockean context of the time, especially bringing out the underlying moral and religious issues. The mastery with which the author manages to address both theoretical and historical issues puts her in a position to offer a contribution that represents the state of the art on the philosopher who made radical innovations in the debate on personal identity, through the modern age to the present.

It will certainly be a major reference both for Locke studies and for the question of personal identity. The analytical orientation of the book, hardly surprising for such a subject, allows a clarification of the theses and debates, according to a rigorous perspective, without being either too dry or too difficult.

Ruth Boeker's text, Locke on Persons and Personal Identity, characterized by clarity of exposition and rigour in analysis and argumentation, focuses precisely on the issues of persons and personal identity, which have never ceased, from the 18th century ... to the present day ... to arouse profound interest and to provide valuable food for thought not only from a historical-philosophical point of view, but also and above all from a theoretical, ethical and theological perspective.

Characterized by rigorous argumentation and grounded in excellent scrutiny of literature, Boeker's work, marked by a decisive interpretative perspective, represents a relevant and in some ways innovative contribution to the discussion of Locke's theory of personal identity that is still alive today.

... it seems to me that Boeker's book represents the state of the art in thinking about Locke on personal identity. She is a careful scholar, a good historian, and an acute philosopher. If someone decides to do philosophical research on Locke's chapter on personal identity, there is not a better starting point than her book.

Boeker's work is an excellent contribution and will be of use to both educators in early modern philosophy and scholars of Locke.

Ruth Boeker provides the most scholarly and sophisticated book-length study of Locke's view of personal identity to date. She puts forward a reading of Locke's account of personal identity and its relationship to his eschatological and moral beliefs, she defends this account against both well-known and lesser-known objections leveled by Locke's peers, and she reconstructs how the account emerges from Locke's thinking about the philosophical and religious problems pertinent among his intellectual predecessors. There is no question that its careful study of the literature, attention to detail, thorough argumentation, and broad view of intellectual context make it mandatory reading for anyone with a scholarly interest in Locke's theory of personal identity.

Ruth Boeker's Locke on Persons and Personal Identity is a tightly argued and illuminating account, containing much to ponder.

This excellent book provides an account of John Locke's views on personhood and personal identity ... Because the author's concern is essentially historical and interpretive, the book will be especially useful to those with research interests in Locke's views on these issues and his philosophical views in general.

This intelligently written, stimulating,compelling book is indeed likely to become the go-to source on Locke's views on persons and personal identity.

Ruth Boeker is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at University College Dublin and a member of the UCD Center for Ethics in Public Life. Her research interests in early modern philosophy lie at the intersection of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and ethics, focusing primarily on early modern debates about personal identity and agency. Her previous work in these areas can be found in History of Philosophy Quarterly, Hume Studies, International Journal of Philosophical Studies, Journal of the History of Philosophy, Locke Studies, and Philosophy Compass. She received her PhD from the University of St Andrews.