Shelly Kagan has the best reasoning about souls I’ve seen so far, he makes a pretty compelling case that we have no soul. I recommend this playlist to everyone, it’s so good :
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEA18FAF1AD9047B0&si=u3LVmbfKUqoDnCjY
Comment on If reincarnation exists, suicide could make things much much worse.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 21 hours agoHow do explain this.
Say you had a trumatic childhood experience and repress all your memories before age 12. Did you “die” at age 12? Were your “reborn” at age 12?
“You” is like this camera that records things. If you swap out the SD card, is it still the same camera?
Your “soul” is the camera, the SD card is your brain.
Get what I’m saying?
VeganBtw@piefed.social 18 hours ago
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 21 hours ago
Repressed memories from trauma still leave subconscious changes in behaviour, though.
If I lost all my memories until the age of 12 and no trace of any habit or thought remained, then yes. Whoever I used to be died.
I am my brain and the memories it contains. I am the SD card.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
I don’t like the idea that “memory = identity”
Memory is part of you, but doen’t solely define you.
If someone made an identical clone of you, like every atom and molecule, even the neurons. Is that “you”? Did you split into 2?
If we then destroy the original, are “you” still “alive”. I mean someone has the exact same memories, same atoms.
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 14 hours ago
That’s just Ship of Theseus and can’t be defined.
I’m not made of the same atoms and molecules as I was a decade ago. Some of them might be still around, but it’s mostly completely new particles. Am I still the same person I was a decade ago? If not, how come I can claim ownership of stuff some other guy with the same name bought back then?
I think I’ve read that on the quantum level you actually can’t make the exact same configuration of particles and energy levels in two places at the same time. Trying to create a copy of an object (or, in general, any configuration of particles) would inevitably cause the original to cease to exist. But it’s also mostly a thought experiment, as we can’t do that with more than a few quantum particles at a time.
So far, as best as humanity is able to tell, your memories are you. If we ever get to Star Trek style teleportation, maybe we can define that more rigourously.
Isolde@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
You aren’t your brain, your brain and body are completely apart from you and don’t care what you’d like. If you were your brain you could stop beating your heart at will, stop digesting, stop or start functions that you are in control of. You’re not in control of anything; not even what you are seeing. Just your perspective and what you make of those experiences. Also, the change in behavior is also mostly up to your body and brain; not you. If you’re hungry, your judgement is clouded and skews towards the negative, not because that is your want.
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 14 hours ago
If I was completely in control of my identity, I could stop being bisexual at will. Not a very compelling argument.
Isolde@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Sorry, where did I say you were?
Actually, you and I are saying the same thing. There isn’t a lot you control about yourself. Did you even read the argument in question?