X-Message-Number: 14774 Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 20:29:32 -0700 From: Lee Corbin <> Subject: Why a Person is not a Thing In my experience, those who argue about personal identity divide into two camps: those who believe that people are patterns, and those who believe that people are systems. We never say, for example, that one computer system can be in two places at the same time, even though they are executing exactly the same program and have exactly the same behavior. But, in this analogy, are people more like the physical systems themselves, or more like their programs? It's time once more to deploy the Ship of Theseus against those who do not believe in the information (pattern) theory of identity. As you may recall, the gallant old Ship of Theseus was beloved by all the warriors who sailed her, and she served through many, many campaigns. Over time, planks and masts became warn, and were gradually replaced. It was clear that the ship retained its identity as surely as does an aging person, whose atoms are all replaced over and over again through the years. But lo! As each plank and mast was replaced, they were secreted away in a nearly lagoon, and slowly the real Ship of Theseus was rebuilt. So which, now, is the "real" ship? Of course, as I'm sure you know, the question is wrong. We know all the facts, and there is no mystery. In the same way, may I ask what would happen if in the coming years it is found that certain small pieces of the brain can be replaced by electronic equipment? That is, suppose as each small part of a brain begins to lose function, it is found that the person can be restored to health by piecemeal replacement. This is really the uploading prospect, of course. The situation is somewhat the same as in The Ship of Theseus, and if a person is still functioning in our society after entire replacement, and seems in no way changed, would you really have the nerve to insist to the creature that in reality he or she no longer lived? Lee Corbin Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=14774