Religion seems different insofar as some people think it has a truth value. If I believe Jesus is the Son of God, that’s a very strong argument for not using a machine that turns me into an atheist—once I’m an atheist, I would be wrong on the Jesus question.
I also am ethnically Jewish, but I don’t consider that to be an interesting test case of the principle. Part of why I find the black case interesting is that black people could continue to perpetuate black culture even if they had white skin. Since Jews don’t look very different from the majority population, it’s unclear what a machine to make me “not Jewish” would mean other than that I lose Jewish culture and ritual and so on, which makes it a totally different case.
Being made not Jewish would presumably also mean that you wouldn’t identify as Jewish.
I apparently look Jewish. I’ve been handed $20 by someone in a Western state because of a Bible verse that nations which are friendly to Jews will flourish. I told her I wasn’t observant, but she didn’t care.
A street musician spontaneously played Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem) for me.
In order to be thoroughly not Jewish, I’d have to look different.
How much is one’s identity in oneself, and how much is in other people’s minds?
One piece of black culture is about hair—having different hair would change the culture.
How much is one’s identity in oneself, and how much is in other people’s minds?
A large majority of German Jews before WWII were fully assimilated and considered themselves Germans, until they were rather sternly reminded of the difference. The situation was very nearly repeated in the Soviet Union around 1953, though Stalin’s death interfered with the planned forced displacement and possibly worse. Still, the resulting anti-Jewish sentiment there never went away completely.
So, other people’s minds often matter more than your own.
Religion seems different insofar as some people think it has a truth value. If I believe Jesus is the Son of God, that’s a very strong argument for not using a machine that turns me into an atheist—once I’m an atheist, I would be wrong on the Jesus question.
I also am ethnically Jewish, but I don’t consider that to be an interesting test case of the principle. Part of why I find the black case interesting is that black people could continue to perpetuate black culture even if they had white skin. Since Jews don’t look very different from the majority population, it’s unclear what a machine to make me “not Jewish” would mean other than that I lose Jewish culture and ritual and so on, which makes it a totally different case.
Being made not Jewish would presumably also mean that you wouldn’t identify as Jewish.
I apparently look Jewish. I’ve been handed $20 by someone in a Western state because of a Bible verse that nations which are friendly to Jews will flourish. I told her I wasn’t observant, but she didn’t care.
A street musician spontaneously played Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem) for me.
In order to be thoroughly not Jewish, I’d have to look different.
How much is one’s identity in oneself, and how much is in other people’s minds?
One piece of black culture is about hair—having different hair would change the culture.
A large majority of German Jews before WWII were fully assimilated and considered themselves Germans, until they were rather sternly reminded of the difference. The situation was very nearly repeated in the Soviet Union around 1953, though Stalin’s death interfered with the planned forced displacement and possibly worse. Still, the resulting anti-Jewish sentiment there never went away completely.
So, other people’s minds often matter more than your own.