[extropy-chat] Agency as Prime Determinant of Personal Identity

[Heartland]

Jef:
> Here's an example intended to show that values, beliefs and
> memories don't necessarily or sufficiently define a person.

Lee:
"There follows an extremely good example of how a single
legal person can change rather dramatically over decades
into who I'd call "someone else" (see Jef's *full* explication
below)."

Lee, wasn't that obvious? That's what you get for reducing your "self" to VMBs. 
Eventually you realize that almost none of your VMBs at 2 are the same as your VMBs 
at 80 which forces you to admit that someone has died sometime between 2 and 80. 
Then you either admit this or choose to give up the idea that "VMBs = Self." :)

Lee:
"So why the devil do you think that the person who the six
year old was  is still alive, or can still be said to exist?  Just
what is it that they have in common that justifies saying so?"

Right. While I've had definite answers to these questions for a long time, let's 
see what Jef comes up with. So far so good.

Slawomir