John Clark wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> 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.
Mike Lorrey