From: Stuart Armstrong (dragondreaming@googlemail.com)
Date: Wed Mar 12 2008 - 09:41:57 MDT
> >> Why do you believe preservation of memories is important in the first place?
>
>
> Stuart:
>
> > Partially because of what happens when memories are lost; alzhimer
> > patients and amnesiacs are most definetly not the same person they
> > were.
>
>
> But isn't it true that "lost memories" were the main criterion by which Alzheimer
> patients were judged in the statement above to be "not the same person"?
I'd judge more by differences in behaviour, reactions, interests,
rationality, etc... The fact these seems to go along with loss of
memory points towards there being a link.
But my second point answers the question better, I feel (i.e. memories
are so important to every facet of who you are, I can't see any aspect
of you that can be held the same over arbitrary changes of memory -
apart from things that all humans share, and thus cannot be candidates
to identifying specifically you. And apart from purely physical
factors, that can be changed as well).
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