From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Tue Nov 12 2002 - 03:37:38 MST
Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> Also, what do you think of the maxim, "Any memory superset
> of me is me"?
I'd deny this one. For example, if Lee Corbin has access to Eliezer
Yudkowsky's memories but the Lee Corbin memories/skills/philosophy are
solely in control of decisionmaking, including reflective decisionmaking,
then I would call you "Lee Corbin with access to Eliezer Yudkowsky's
memories" but not "Eliezer Yudkowsky". (At least until my static memories
took over your personality using your own goal system, but that would be
an essentially friendly process.)
On the other hand, if my current personality is "only a memory" but I grew
out of that personality by a continuous process of a kind that I regard as
valid(*), I would regard that entity as being Eliezer Yudkowsky. But
there are some kinds of disruptive supervention that could destroy
continuity of identity without destroying continuity of memory.
(*) Yes, I realize how much buried territory there is inside this
statement. But let's just take it that there are some kinds of dynamic
changes that I regard as valid, and some that I don't.
-- Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://singinst.org/ Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
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