1. Using Neuroscience to Inform Theories of Personal Identity Ben Dichter

2. “That’s Me”(I am the very same person as the person in that picture) Ben Dichter, age 3 A lot has changed Physical Appearance Size Hair color Atoms in body Memory Gained memories Lost memories

3. Objectives Philosophy of Personal Identity Special Cases Revisit the philosophy

4. Big Questions in Personal Identity Population: What makes two people distinct from each other? Persistence: Under what circumstances is a person existing at one time identical to a person existing at another time?

5. Persistence of cars

6. Numerical Identity Space-time worm Really space-time rope Looking for metaphysical glue that makes two stages the same worm

7. Concept of Sameness Same = similar Same = “the very same” http://www.hoax-slayer.com/images/lead-lipstick.jpg http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2008/04/Beetle_Before_After_494.jpg http://www.persuasiveconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/rose.jpg

8. Personal Identity Population How should we distinguish between two different space-time worms? Persistence How should we connect two stages of a single worm?

9. Personal Identity 3 main approaches Soul (Dualism) Body Mind

10. Personal Identity A nonphysical substance Relation to physical world? Epiphenomenalism Cannot be studied Basically have to make stuff up Plato’s soul swap 3 main approaches Soul (Dualism) Body Mind Descartes

11. Personal Identity 3 main approaches Soul Body Mind Just like the car Cells in my body change like car parts I am the same person if my matter undergoes only slow, gradual change.

12. Evil Mad Scientist’s Lab James Simkins Some other guy I am the same person if my matter undergoes only slow, gradual change. BRAIN

13. The Mind Approach Locke: I am the same person if and only if I can remember being that person Problem: A=B B=C A≠C Solution: rope again 3 main approaches Soul Body Mind

14. Exploring the Mind Approach Someone wakes up and has the mind of Michael Jackson Remembers everything Same goals, fears etc. Is he Michael Jackson? Through the Mind Approach, yes  http://www.solarnavigator.net/music/music_images/michael_jackson_king_of_pop.jpg

15. Now we are stuck James wakes up as Oprah Problem: Oprah already exists We can fix this “No branching” rule Multiple occupancy  http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2006/0605/oprah0508.jpg

16. “Let’s give up” Anticriterialism: Personal Identity cannot be known “Open Concept” Is an escalator a staircase? No right answer http://www.khanya.co.za/blogs/images/head_in_sand_2.gif

17. Objectives Philosophy of Personal Identity Special Cases Revisit the philosophy

18. 1. Tatiana and Krista Hogan Conjoined twins Neural bridge between thalami Receives sensory input from body NY Times video Youtube http://a.abcnews.com/images/Nightline/ht_twinswhoshareabrain_08_100611_ssh.jpg

19. 2. H.M. Epilepsy treatment: bilateral medial temporal lobectomy Took out most of hippocampus and rhinal cortex Full anterograde amnesia: cannot form long-term explicit memories http://www.impawards.com/2001/posters/memento.jpg

20. Applying the Mind Approach to H.M. Body Approach Mind Approach Does H.M. die every time he spaces out?

21. 3. K.C. Injured Hippocampus in motorcycle accident Good semantic memory, but no episodic memory Semantic: Who is president? Where were you born? Cannot imagine himself in the future either Episodic: http://flowtv.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/play-on-the-beach-350x233.png Does K.C. even have an identity rope?

22. 4. Dissociative-Identity Disorder 2 personalities, Even and Odd Like housemates that never see each other Separation of identity appeals to both consciousness and memory mind approaches

23. 4. Dissociative-Identity Disorder Body Approach Mind Approach Can a person go in and out of existence?

24. Objectives Philosophy of Personal Identity Special Cases Revisit the philosophy

25. Why does it matter? Changed inmate Alzheimer's Neural prosthetics Robots Philosophy is our umbrella http://www.fatwallet.com/static/attachments/10312_maricopa_county_jail_inmate.jpg http://media.mercola.com/imageserver/public/2008/April/4.1alzheimers.jpg http://www.dianefenster.com/brain_implant3.jpg http://blackandteal.com/files/2010/08/irobot_1280.jpg http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv271/IBleed4Thee/Grahpics/rainy_day.jpg?t=1242143276 http://blackandteal.com/files/2010/08/irobot_1280.jpg

26. Thanks! Dr. Peter Machamer UHC Shelly Kagan Aaron Batista My dad

27. Questions?

28. 5. Split-Brain Cut the corpus callosum to treat severe epilepsy If image is shown to left visual field, patient cannot verbally identify image Can react to image in other ways (laugh, grab object) 2 selves?

29. It’s a Cartesian trap! Temptation: 2 different selves Really just 2 different subsystems (homunculi) We have created a particularly obvious communication gap Communication gaps exist in all of us (e.g. body language)

30. Breaking Down the Cartesian Theater of Consciousness Descartes: Consciousness cannot be subdivided We have privileged and infallible window into our own consciousness Homunculus within the brain

31. What we can learn We are color-blind in our peripheral vision Introspection does not always work If we are not looking, we will not notice it’s not there When in doubt, we make stuff up! Our intuitions about consciousness may merely be the result of an illusion sustained by a combination of not looking and making stuff up.

32. Demonstration 2 volunteers please