X-Message-Number: 17121 Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 01:05:29 -0400 From: James Swayze <> Subject: Thanks, grammer mistake--reason for, shared memories a question References: <> Thanks to those that expressed appreciation of my debunking NDE's efforts. It's nice to know my posts are read. Thanks to Kennita for pointing out my grammar mistake. I have analyzed this and come to the following conclusion. Because I know better what happened? Well I, owing to my paralyzed hands, type using two sticks with rubber tips and hence not able to feel the keys my eyes are on the keyboard. The composition is going on solely in my head without feedback from the screen. Since I was thinking in one part of my mind "my body's worth" etc. having a *posessive* apostrophe, and so in substituting it for body the whole mess got squirted out as *it's* having the same apostrophe but not possessive in this use. I'll try to do better next time. Regarding sharing memories I have a question for the brain experts. If our memories are recorded in the patterns of connections of neurons wouldn't trying to imprint a memory from someone else run the risk of overwriting something the receiver's brain has recorded? I'm picturing the 3 dimensional aspect here. Suppose we could locate a specific memory in subject A. Suppose we locked A's head into a device to keep it still and then start with a 3 dimensional reference point. We could say that the memory M was located at the 3 dimensional coordinates x,y,z at a known distance from the reference point. Getting the picture? Then we have the second subject B similarly locked in place but we find that the same area x,y,z in this subject is occupied by memories unique to that individual. In other words I would not assume that the area would be blank and waiting for the same type of experience subject A has at x,y,z. So wouldn't implanting the memory from A to B overwrite B's memories at that location? Now of course if it was experienced like a virtual reality environment it would be a new experience and the brain would figure out for its self (or should it be itself--Kennita?) where to safely place the new experience. However, this would, I assume, make it a bit different than A's experience. In other words the self perspective would not be the same. B experiencing the virtual reality memory of A would not experience it from the same inside looking out perspective as A has. Just my opinion. Regarding self and identity I liked George's later post and got the feeling from it that identity could be independent from memory. I could be wrong. I have a notion, a purely subjective hunch, that if I were to suffer total amnesia (if that is possible) I would still consider my self as having worth. I would still have the desire to survive and if I had that I at least have some sense of worth or why bother the effort to survive? Like I said it's only a hunch and welcome comment from anyone with knowledge of how amnesia victims view themselves. James P.S. I use Netscape Messenger for email and so far find no way to find the size of the current message before sendng it. It does tell you while sending it but that's too late. I might try something else but it won't be Outlook--too many viruses aimed at Outlook. -- From the point of ignition To the final drive The point of the journey is not to arrive --RUSH Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17121