Identity, Potential and Design addresses the metaphysics of personal identity and the question of the moral permissibility of abortion. This book begins by discussing personal identity, arguing that a generally-Thomistic hylomorphic approach is most acceptable. It then moves to a discussion of the moral significance of potentiality, arguing that certain types of potentiality carry with them the same rights to protection as possessed by those individuals who have manifest these traits. It then examines the concept of health, arguing that appeals to species-norms are not helpful in determining...