I don’t think that your declarative/explicit memory is all that important to your identity, the influence those experiences had on your cognitive algorithms, certainly, but the explicit memories themselves? Of course any path that would take a 10-years-younger peer of yours to your current identity would be strange, even somewhat stranger than the semi-random walk you yourself took. But it is conceivable, i.e. your past and long gone personae were part of your path through time and space to your current self, but they aren’t strictly necessary to get to where you are now. Mostly, they’re just gone.
Of course any path that would take a 10-years-younger peer of yours to your current identity would be strange, even somewhat stranger than the semi-random walk you yourself took.
I’m no longer sure what you mean by “your current identity” in that sentence, so let me try to taboo it.
Consider person X, my friend of ten years ago. I distinctly remember that ten years ago, X called himself George and described himself as having been born in Atlanta, whereas I called myself Dave and described myself as having been born in New Jersey.
Right now, I call myself Dave and describe myself as having been born in New Jersey.
Any path that takes X from where he was ten years ago to exactly the state I’m in right now, which includes calling myself Dave and describing myself as having been born in New Jersey, is very very strange… far stranger than the path I myself took, and stranger than .999999999 of the paths that were available for me to take.
Any path that takes X from where he was ten years ago to some state that shares some elements with the state I’m in right now, but not others, may be less strange than that. It may even be less strange than the path I myself took. It depends on which shared elements we’re talking about.
I agree that many elements of the state I’m in right now don’t matter very much.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”
I agree that many elements of the state I’m in right now don’t matter very much.
Yea, e.g. lots of variables share the name “x”. It’s just denoting that which you talk about, and while a name can influence your upbringing (say it’s a foreign name), i.e. while it’ll help take you to your current utility function, at least I would not consider it crucial for identity purposes having reached the present time (yet it is essential for daily life, of course). Hopefully that makes my example clearer, if not steelman it as you see fit :), I think even without it my point is comprehensible.
As I said, I wasn’t sure what you meant by “current identity”, which is why I provided two versions of what you might mean.
I was hoping you might endorse one or the other of them, but oh well.
Anyway, yes, if we generalize your point about my name to also include where I was born and what my native language was and what religion I was raised in and the million other demographic data that distinguish me from my ten-years-ago peer, then I agree with you.
I don’t think that your declarative/explicit memory is all that important to your identity, the influence those experiences had on your cognitive algorithms, certainly, but the explicit memories themselves? Of course any path that would take a 10-years-younger peer of yours to your current identity would be strange, even somewhat stranger than the semi-random walk you yourself took. But it is conceivable, i.e. your past and long gone personae were part of your path through time and space to your current self, but they aren’t strictly necessary to get to where you are now. Mostly, they’re just gone.
I’m no longer sure what you mean by “your current identity” in that sentence, so let me try to taboo it.
Consider person X, my friend of ten years ago. I distinctly remember that ten years ago, X called himself George and described himself as having been born in Atlanta, whereas I called myself Dave and described myself as having been born in New Jersey.
Right now, I call myself Dave and describe myself as having been born in New Jersey.
Any path that takes X from where he was ten years ago to exactly the state I’m in right now, which includes calling myself Dave and describing myself as having been born in New Jersey, is very very strange… far stranger than the path I myself took, and stranger than .999999999 of the paths that were available for me to take.
Any path that takes X from where he was ten years ago to some state that shares some elements with the state I’m in right now, but not others, may be less strange than that. It may even be less strange than the path I myself took. It depends on which shared elements we’re talking about.
I agree that many elements of the state I’m in right now don’t matter very much.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Yea, e.g. lots of variables share the name “x”. It’s just denoting that which you talk about, and while a name can influence your upbringing (say it’s a foreign name), i.e. while it’ll help take you to your current utility function, at least I would not consider it crucial for identity purposes having reached the present time (yet it is essential for daily life, of course). Hopefully that makes my example clearer, if not steelman it as you see fit :), I think even without it my point is comprehensible.
As I said, I wasn’t sure what you meant by “current identity”, which is why I provided two versions of what you might mean.
I was hoping you might endorse one or the other of them, but oh well.
Anyway, yes, if we generalize your point about my name to also include where I was born and what my native language was and what religion I was raised in and the million other demographic data that distinguish me from my ten-years-ago peer, then I agree with you.