The theses that Kripke developed in his 1971 essay "Identity and Necessity" (and later in his book "Naming and Necessity") have shaped analytical philosophy: He presents considerations on the meaning of proper names as well as the role of proper names and descriptions in identity statements, and examines the relationship between apriority in epistemology and necessity in metaphysics. His argument against the identity theory in the philosophy of mind remains influential to this day. The new translation of this classic text is extensively commented on, tracing the course of the argument and highlighting its repercussions.