X-Message-Number: 19325
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 09:03:05 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #19316 - #19322

Hi everyone!

First, for Charles Platt: let's have a fun discussion about by VCDs
from underground operators. Maybe we'll even be able to call one
another names! :)

For Dave Pizer: Since most of our brain activities involve more 
than one neuron, it's unlikely that consciousness would be different.
As for memory and consciousness, I find it very hard to separate
them when discussing this issue. It's not a matter of which is more
important, but a matter of two series of events which are very 
closely linked, so much so that each would be damaged if it
existed without the other. 

How would you, Dave Pizer, feel if you did not know your name, your
wife, your past experiences with different businesses, events you
were proud or ahamed of, all those memories. Sure, some 3rd party
could tell you all these things, but they would essentially sound
like the biography of somebody else. Not only that, but it is because
of your memories that you can understand things that (say) dogs
or cats cannot... so that when you encounter them you feel at
home with them at once. Any dog, however, would become completely
confused and therefore either give up or feel unhappy. Every
time in which you are conscious, that consciousness does not occur
without many memories. Some may be unconscious memories that make
you feel at home with where and when you are; some will be quite
conscious memories. "Oh, this looks just like the pattern I saw
2 years ago in my wife's old dress! The one she threw away..."

Sure, if you were revived with total loss of memories, then 
eventually you will acquire new ones. Would such a person really
be YOU? You would not even have a memory of your consciousness
CONTINUING from the former Dave Pizer. We could have revived
someone grown as a clone, and told them they were DAVE PIZER,
and even told them about him. Not only would you feel the same
way if this happened as if you really were Dave Pizer with 
all his memories lost, but you'd have no way (other than 
detective investigation!) to tell the difference yourself.

As for why I look so much at both memory and consciousness,
with emphasis on memory, is that memory is the element of this
pairing that now looks most easily destroyed, and I look for
ways to recover it. I would bet that we will come to a biological
understanding of consciousness before we completely understand
memory, too... And to recover both fully we must recover each
one.

		Best wishes and long long life to all,

			Thomas Donaldson

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