Parfit is a well written biography that does a great job painting the life of Derek Parfit. He was somewhat of a child prodigy. Born in China of British parents engaging in missionary-related work, he had a somewhat privileged upbringing. He did well in school and had his share of youthful craziness. He went through some academic processes. (The details would have been clearer to those familiar with the British school system.) He was able to study in America and eventually switched to philosophy. He had characteristics of those on the autism spectrum (aspergers) He would be a perfectionist in his writing, even complaining about font spacing. He also took time to comment on others work.
The book complains that he was an important moral philosopher, however, it was rather short on details. I did not get a strong picture of why. There were a few examples of philosophy, but the book seems to be geared towards a popular audience that already thinks of him as an important philosopher.
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