[extropy-chat] Personal Identity Bis

[Randall Randall]

On Apr 13, 2007, at 3:14 AM, Eugen Leitl wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 12, 2007 at 04:56:39PM -0400, Randall Randall wrote:
>> Precisely.  The only difference is the history, but I'm
>> sure everyone would agree there is a distinct DVD I own
> I guess I'm not everyone. If two DVDs fell down and rolled
> into a corner, without me looking, I couldn't tell the
> difference. So couldn't anybody, but an omniscient
> observer. I'm an atheist, so this means nobody can tell
> in principle.
>
> Again, the DVD has no label, you carry the label by
> observing the system trajectory.

I agree that the label consists of the system trajectory.

Just because we don't have knowledge of a thing at a given
time, however, doesn't mean that the thing doesn't exist.

You argument seems to lead directly to (things I think are)
absurdities such as: before anyone thought of evolution,
evolution didn't exist.  I'm pretty sure you won't agree
with *that* one, but it's just another wording of "if we
don't know something at the current time, it doesn't exist."

>
> Knowledge is information, and information is very important
> in this unverse, from QM (two systems in the same quantum
> state are not distinguishable in principle) to singularities.

I think that this is misapplied, here.  If we had two systems
in the same quantum state, we might not be able to measure an
internal difference, but we certainly can distinguish them; if
we can't, then how do we know we have two?  Taken literally,
the statement "two systems are indistinguishable" is a logical
contradiction.

--
Randall Randall <randall at randallsquared.com>
"Hey, Mr. Record Man, your system can't compete;
  It's the new artist model: File Transfer Complete..."
  - MC Lars, "Download This Song"