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

[Lee Corbin]

Heartland writes

> Right now, it seems like you, Lee, claim that it is "M" in VBM (Values, Beliefs, 
> Memories) that deserves the most attention while Jef insists that the "VB" part is 
> more crucial. These are interesting choices and each perspective demands different 
> conclusions. However, before you devote a lot of time and energy on getting tangled 
> up in details, I would like to point out that these choices are completely 
> arbitrary.
> 
> Choosing arbitrary criteria for what constitutes a person is a widespread 
> problem....

Now if someone does say "Personal identity is X" and that's what
it means to me, I can't really do anything but comment that this is
not what everyone else means.

When we attempt to go beyond today's capabilities, as the SF writers
always do, we must *smoothly* extend the meanings we use daily
into these new directions.  They must be compatible with our old
meanings, even if they now apply to new things. 

In daily life, we all know what it means to die: you don't get to live
anymore. No one is around who acts like you, talks like you, remembers
what you remembered and so on.  Any sensible notions of what *future*
survival and "personal identity" mean must maintain these fundamentals.

So it's not arbitrary:  our concept even when applied to new items must
still make sense according to the old.  So to claim, for example, "Oh, 
I'll still be alive if enough people read my books and belief my ideas"
is nonsense, because we all know that despite all the effort, Jesus is
no longer alive and kicking (was crucified or something, as everyone
knows).

> I strongly believe that there should be *no room* for arbitrary choices at any 
> point along the chain of logical inference. If X is more important than Y, then, 
> before I can accept any conclusions *based* on X, I need to see the argument that 
> comes before that which explains why X should matter most.

I agree.

> Would it be possible to see such an argument from you, Jef or Lee?

Hopefully, despite my severly limited time the next day or two, I have
made such an argument above.

Lee