Re: ::scr long waffley post about consciousness

[Alaric Snell <alaric@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tuesday 09 April 2002 10:23, you wrote:

> > Ah, those are temporary influences upon you rather than
> > incorporating something into you (unless you count the memories, in
> > which case this drifts away from a discussion about an ethereal soul
> > into 'you are the sum of your experiences', which is IMHO a
> > different debate)
>
> Ah, but I have already stated elsewhere that I don't believe in the
> existence of an ethereal soul. Or even of a 'self' in the conventional
> sense.

No, but the guy I was arguing with had a different opinion :-)

> It is my view that the me that exists now is not the same me that
> existed at the time I typed 'now' for the first time. But each
> successive me remembers when it used to be the earlier me, so it
> concludes that it is, in effect, the same 'me' as it always was, but
> with different experiences.

Yes. Does dying bother you, though? The thought that, at some point, there 
will be a you which no other you will ever remember?

> This is a really compelling way of looking at ourselves (some
> inviolate 'me' that is the same now as it always was, and which will
> continue until one dies, and maybe beyond), but I would hesitate to
> say that it is 'really' true. It merely feels true.

Read Schild's Ladder by Greg Egan :-)

http://www.netspace.net.au/~gregegan/
http://www.netspace.net.au/~gregegan/SCHILD/SCHILD.html

It's not the main thrust of the book, but the part of the book that gives it 
the name describes what you're talking about.

ABS

-- 
                               Alaric B. Snell
 http://www.alaric-snell.com/  http://RFC.net/  http://www.warhead.org.uk/
   Any sufficiently advanced technology can be emulated in software