From: John Clark (jonkc@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Fri Nov 20 1998 - 10:51:47 MST
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Eliezer S. Yudkowsky Wrote:
>How would you define "identity"?
I think we'd need to start with the word "identical". It two things can be
exchanged and no change can be detected by the outside world then the two
things are identical. An unproved and unprovable but nevertheless reasonable
corollary is that it doesn't matter internally either.
If everything you know I know, and everything I see feel and hear you see and
feel and hear then our brains (or consciousness) could be exchanged and the
external would could not tell the difference in our behavior, and neither
could the Clark/Yudkowsky composite being. We would share the same identity.
There is no reason to think this is an all or nothing concept. If the John
Clark of 5 minutes ago were exchanged with the John Clark of right now the
world would see almost no difference so we're almost the same person, but the
very act of writing this post has changed me a little.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
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