On Tue, Oct 6, 2015 Bruce Kellett <[email protected]> wrote:
> > If there are, by chance, other persons who happen to have, > instantaneously, the same brain configuration as you do, > Then they're identical to you, at least for that instant. > > then there are simply two people who share a momentary psychological > similarity. No, then there is one person who happens to have 2 identical bodies. > > > Since the environments are different, these two individuals will have had > different histories, Maybe their histories were different but if their brains were identical then subjectively they will have identical memories of their past histories, and subjectivity is vastly more important than objectivity. Or at least I think it is. > > > and will rapidly diverge. Random quantum fluctuations will always make 2 identical brains diverge, but how rapidly is unknown. > > So calling one the continuation of the other is a bit arbitrary It is no more arbitrary than saying the Bruce Kellett of today is a continuation of the Bruce Kellett of yesterday; and if things had been even slightly different yesterday then today Bruce Kellett would be different from what he actually is. But just how different is unknown. > > you still always have two separate individuals with only chance > similarities. It's irrelevant if the 2 are identical due to chance or if they are identical for some other reason, the only important thing is that they are identical. And if the copy must be absolutely identical to be considered you then continued existence is always impossible because you always change from one instant to the next; lack of subjective change would be a good definition of death. > > So I am saying that two brains could be the same physically, and mentally, > but still be different people. > If they are the same physically and mentally then what on earth is different about them? > > > similar mental states do not mean identical persons. > Death means having a last thought, so if tomorrow somebody has my mental state then I could not have died today. > > > If you have a tie for closest continuer, you have created two new persons. > So if today I found a person who had a better memory of the experiences that Bruce Kellett had yesterday than you did (and let's face it you don't remember everything) would that discovery suddenly turn you into a zombie with no identity? > > And it does not matter what these persons think, or what conclusion they > reach by introspection. > I could not disagree more, I think those factors are the only ones that *do* matter. > > > Physical factors are more important in such cases than psychological > factors. > You don't have thoughts you are thoughts, and it doesn't matter if the matter that's thinking you is made of protein or silicon; although as far as we know matter of some sort does need to be involved somewhere along the line. John K Clark -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
