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Article 7528 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: system@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz (Wayne McDougall)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Simulated Brain
Message-ID: <u1FVTB1w165w@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz>
Date: 7 Nov 92 13:02:31 GMT
References: <burt.720811664@aupair.cs.athabascau.ca>
Organization: The Code Works Limited, PO Box 10 155, Auckland, New Zealand
Lines: 39

burt@aupair.cs.athabascau.ca (Burt Voorhees) writes:

> >burt@aupair.cs.athabascau.ca (Burt Voorhees) writes:
> 
> >> I would say that this persistent sense of identity across
> >> multiple states of being, and even across multiple
> >> personalities, could be explained easily in terms
> >> of an assumed a priori consciousness which has the
> >> capacity of intentional identification with structures
> >> in an individuals mind.
> >> bv
> 
> We're talking about two "persistant states of identity" here, Wayne.
> You're talking about the one that says: Well, here I am now, and
> this is the same I as I remember from ten minutes/two days/three
> years/ ten years, etc. ago.  There is, as you point out, no immediate
> reason to believe this.
> What I'm talking about is the state of identity that says: Here I am
> _now_ and whenever _now_ is, I'm here.  That is, I'm not positing
> any historical qualities with this identity, simply a sense of
> identity qua identity.

I fail to see how you can reconcile "indentity qua identity" with 
"persistent sense of identity across multiple states of being". I 
propose that the latter, by virtue of you applying the persistence to 
it, must have a temporal aspect that can only be drawn from a history 
which you agree we have no evidence as to the reliabiity thereof. It 
seems to me you have changed your tack from "persistent sense" to "here 
I am _now_". Yes the latter has no historical qualities, but neither is 
it "persistent".

All IMO, of course. [Sorry, I don't have humble opinions. Design 
defect].

-- 
  Wayne McDougall, BCNU
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