Stuart is dead? Situational issues in identity

From: Stuart Armstrong (dragondreaming@googlemail.com)
Date: Wed Mar 12 2008 - 09:33:47 MDT


> Hmm. It's a variation that I don't remember encountering in all these
> years. Might be worth pursuing in a new thread. Surely you've
> undergone grueling experiences. While they were occuring did you
> ever happen to say to yourself, "Well, Stuart is dead, not sure if I
> want to go back to being Stuart or staying the new person that I am?"
> Or anything along those lines?

I never thought along those lines (though now I might). I have often
thought about going back to the person I once was, and am sure that
the past Stuart would not recognise me as the same person.

The situation changes, though, if there are duplicates! Then I can no
longer continue to carry the mantle of Stuart just out of laziness;
because "well, I'm the closest thing around to what Stuart once was".

Perhaps this example hints at what the problem is: maybe we shouldn't
be thinking "me and my duplicate are the same person, just as me today
and me last year", but rather "me today and me next year are a
different person, just as two of my duplicates in different
circumstances."

Stuart (...I think...)



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