2009/4/3 Brent Meeker <[email protected]>: > But if you're going to derive physics from consciousness you need to > explain what connects across the gap - why is it still "you". I > appreciate that part of the answer is memories, although Bruno seems to > think they are inessential. But even if they are part of the answer > there still seems to me to be a problem in that almost all memories are > *not* in consciousness at any one time. So must we invoke "unconscious > memories" (which are where?) or some other factor that provides the > continuity of self or do we simply assert that you are no one in > particular when you are not remembering anything. My speculation is > that there there is subconscious "memory" on the very short term, > ~second, which provides continuity . This operates even when you are > asleep so that there is continuity of events in you dreams. If you > suffer a concussion the continuity is broken and you have gap in memory > and in consciousness. This immediate memory provides continuity between > times when you recall long-term memories, which are the ones Quentin is > concerned with.
I have been using the term "memories" to include more than just long term memories. For example, I have a feeling of "being me" which persists from moment to moment. Even though I can't put this feeling into words, I would know immediately if something happens to change it, since then I would no longer "feel myself". While specific to each person, nevertheless this basal feeling would be more generic than the feeling + superimposed complex cognition, since the latter would have higher information content. -- Stathis Papaioannou --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
