Thoughts Concerning Identity- a refute to Dennett The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has six definitions of the word “identity.” This paper assumes definition 2a: “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual”, to be the best interpretation of what it is to be an individual and what makes someone that person. When asked “Who am I?” the thing that defines us is our identity. The word “universe” is also used in this paper and it should be interpreted as: “everything that exists.” I will argue that a human being’s identity or essence is the sum of their experiences and their actions or reactions to all of their experiences.
We should start by thinking about what makes each person different. We all look different, sound different, …show more content…
When his brain is removed from his body he still experiences remotely through that body and affects the world from that body so it would appear that his identity is carried with that body and that Dennett “is” where is body is not his brain. Things get a little more confusing when his brain is copied onto a computer that runs in parallel with his brain with an identical thought process. Both “brains” receive the same input (experiences) and there outputs are the same (actions). But only one of the brains is actually sending signals to Dennett’s body while the other is only under the illusion that it is in control because the two have the same thought process. This leads one to wonder if the brain not in control is merely a phantom identical to the one discussed above that can observe, but not affect our world. It is useful to consult the Turing test when determining if two minds are indistinguishable, the results of which are made clear by the fact that Dennett can switch between brains at will without skipping or having unusual changes in thought or action. So they have the same identity making them the same “person” so to speak, even if only one is in true control at a
We should start by thinking about what makes each person different. We all look different, sound different, …show more content…
When his brain is removed from his body he still experiences remotely through that body and affects the world from that body so it would appear that his identity is carried with that body and that Dennett “is” where is body is not his brain. Things get a little more confusing when his brain is copied onto a computer that runs in parallel with his brain with an identical thought process. Both “brains” receive the same input (experiences) and there outputs are the same (actions). But only one of the brains is actually sending signals to Dennett’s body while the other is only under the illusion that it is in control because the two have the same thought process. This leads one to wonder if the brain not in control is merely a phantom identical to the one discussed above that can observe, but not affect our world. It is useful to consult the Turing test when determining if two minds are indistinguishable, the results of which are made clear by the fact that Dennett can switch between brains at will without skipping or having unusual changes in thought or action. So they have the same identity making them the same “person” so to speak, even if only one is in true control at a