Editing Derek Parfit (section)

==Early life and education==
Parfit was born in 1942 in [[Chengdu]], China, the son of Jessie (née Browne) and Norman Parfit, medical doctors who had moved to [[Western China]] to teach [[preventive medicine]] in [[missionary]] hospitals. The family returned to the United Kingdom about a year after Parfit was born, settling in Oxford. Parfit was educated at the [[Dragon School]] and [[Eton College]], where he was nearly always at the top of the regular rankings in every subject except maths.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://philosophynow.org/issues/119/Derek_Parfit_1942-2017|title=Derek Parfit (1942-2017) &#124; Issue 119 &#124; Philosophy Now|website=philosophynow.org}}</ref> From an early age, he endeavoured to become a poet, but he gave up [[poetry]] towards the end of his adolescence.<ref name=":2">{{cite magazine|author=Larissa MacFarquhar|title=How to be Good|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=5 September 2011|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/09/05/how-to-be-good|access-date=22 July 2014|author-link=Larissa MacFarquhar}}</ref>

He then studied modern history at [[Balliol College, Oxford]], graduating in 1964. In 1965–66, he was a [[Harkness Fellow]] at [[Columbia University]] and [[Harvard University]]. He abandoned historical studies for philosophy during the fellowship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://as.nyu.edu/object/aboutas.globalprofessor.DerekParfit|title=Derek Parfit|publisher=New York University|access-date=10 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520060020/http://as.nyu.edu/object/aboutas.globalprofessor.DerekParfit|archive-date=20 May 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=McMahan |first=Jeff |author-link=Jeff McMahan (philosopher) |date=2017 |title=Obituary: Derek Parfit |url=https://www.academia.edu/31595967/Obituary_of_Derek_Parfit_pdf |journal=Philosophy Now}}</ref>