X-Message-Number: 3307
From:  (David Stodolsky)
Subject: SCI. CRYONICS: Re: survival
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 94 10:36:07 +0100 (MET)


in Message-Subject: SCI. CRYONICS survival writes:
> I once more emphasize two points, on both of which I seem to be a
> long-wailing voice in the wilderness:
> 
> 1. Although not the only important consideration, the ESSENCE of selfhood or
> personhood is in that portion or aspect of the brain (I call it the "self
> circuit") that allows or gives rise to FEELING (and hence consciousness,
> which is the integration of feeling and computing). Turing-tested "people"
> are not necessarily people; it is the internal state that counts. 

You will continue to be a long-wailing voice in the wilderness, if
you depend upon unobservable internal states, since they have been
rejected in scientific psychology long ago, as a basis for analysis.

There is a vast literature on identity, unfortunately, most of it is
not applicable to the current question. However, what little does apply,
will serve much better than totally new concepts, such as "self circuit",
which have no literature behind them. We are not going to get professional
psychologists interested in these questions unless we use terms and
methods that are current in the literature.

Some leading edge stuff can be found in the last chapters of:
B. J. Hiley and F. David Peat (Eds.). Quantum Implications: 
Essays in Honour of David Bohm. London & NY: Routledge, (1987).
ISBN: 0-415-06960-2 (paperback).

This will give quantum mechanics something to sharpen their tools
on :-).

dss

David S. Stodolsky, PhD               Internet: 
Peder Lykkes Vej 8, 4. tv.      (C)         Tel.: + 45 32 97 66 74
DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark                Fax: + 45 32 84 08 28

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