Comment on If reincarnation exists, suicide could make things much much worse.
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 14 hours agoYour argument - if I understood it correctly - was that I’m not my brain because I’m not in complete control of my brain. But then I’m not in complete control over what most people would agree is part of my identity.
Isolde@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Well, you aren’t. You didn’t chose most things about yourself, you just think you did as to not cause existential crisis. Your favorite foods, your sexuality, what you think is funny, what smells like perfume and what smells like poop; all has very little to do with anything you consciously chose. Most of the things I mentioned are decided before you’re born.
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 14 hours ago
That is true. But it also doesn’t prove that I’m not defined by my brain and memories. I didn’t chose to have most of my memories either.
Isolde@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
I agree with you, but the memories you keep at the forefront aren’t your choice either. You tend to remember the negative moments more vividly because your brain is trying to protect you from experiencing it again. A useful tactic in times past, but not so much anymore. I’m not saying you’re not you- you are. There is a you apart from your body and mind, but it is much much less than people would like to realize. It’s more like you’re a ghost in the machine. You think you’re the driver but you’re really just the passenger that gets to say where to stop every so often, but not consistently.
rockerface@lemmy.cafe 14 hours ago
Ah, that is a take I can understand. I can’t say I completely agree, but thanks for clarifying!
Ultimately the difference between our arguments is just vibe-based, I think. I don’t feel like there’s a “ghost in the machine” outside of my brain, but, again, it’s just a personal subjective feeling.