[ExI] Minds, Personalities, and Love

[Thomas]

Jef Allbright wrote:

> On 6/27/07, Thomas <thomas at thomasoliver.net> wrote:
>
>
>> Not essential for life or observable identity, but personality?   
>> Without
>> capacity for consciousness you lose your personhood.   Someone  
>> else might
>> see you as a person, but they have a sad misunderstanding of the  
>> facts.
>>
>
> A deep but well-recognized aspect of thinking about consciousness and
> personhood is that an observer can never know, but only assume, the
> self-awareness of another person.
>
> A deeper and seldom recognized aspect is that the above statement
> applies equally when the observer and the observed are the same
> person.
>
> Therein lies the source of much confusion and endless debate.
>
> - Jef

And if anything can fire up the agencies of consciousness, confusion  
can!   I feel grateful that I CAN assume personhood.  But, I believe  
you: I'll need a lot bigger hippocampus if I really want to know  
myself.  My individualism doesn't require a homunculus -- just a  
balanced, integrated and effective survival outcome for this  
particular organism and maybe the corresponding simulus.  -- Thomas

Thomas at ThomasOliver.net

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