>Date: Sun, 14 May 2000 11:52:08 -0700 (PDT)
>From: "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury@aeiveos.com>
>Subject: Recreating people [was: renaissance people]
>I had discussed the problem of whether it will be feasible to know
>the difference between A(recreated)-humans vs. and the decorporealized
>originals.
The actual context was:
>And of course even with "live" humans, instantiations are
>subject to a wide range of variation (so much so that
>people often find themselves asking whether or not the
>person is not someone completely different), so it will
>be difficult to know whether the A-Sasha *is* Sasha.
>But from a metaphysical standpoint, does that really
>matter if A-Sasha, derived from Bio-Sasha, responds
>in substantially similar ways?
> Melzack's Neuromatrix theory of self seems to adequately explain this
point.
The particular point that I think Melzack deals with well (also see his
Gateway theory of pain ... ) is his notion of a neuro-signature:
"Ronald Melzack introduced concerning phantom pain. His theory involves the
integration of three separate pathways in the brain with a concept called
the neurosignature. Melzack proposes that a large number of interconnected
neurons, a neuromatirx, exists in every person. That neuromatrix analyses
the sensory information and gives perception of sensation. The
neurosignature comes into play at this point. It tells the brain that the
perceptions of sensation are from the "self." The neurosignature tells the
brain that your arm is YOUR arm, not someone else's. (Melzack,1992, 1990)
The parietal lobe is heavily involved in the neurosignature.(Saks 1990)
Patients with lesions in the parietal lobe have been known to throw their
own leg out of bed in the middle of the night because it felt like someone
else's leg!
Melzack presents a very good metaphor for understanding the neurosignature.
He relates it to an piece of classical music with the neurosignature being
the theme of the piece, that constant thing which defines the piece. The
sensory inputs and outputs are the other instruments. The instruments change
key, tempo and sometimes even rhythm, but there is always that theme giving
the piece is personality."
_______________________________________________
If you are worried about the wider Metamorphosis problem (Kafka's man
changed into a beetle) then we are dealing with metaphysical problems that
might be wider in scope than Melzack's Neuromatrix. As I have probably said
here before, these type of philosophical problems are resolved by Median
Vision Theory www.multi.co.uk/primal.htm
> I didn't understand the reference, so I went looking:
Try http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Phantom/Melzack.html
Best
www.steve-nichols.com
Editor EXTROPIA.net
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