I AM THE SAME PERSON WHO
ATTENDED HIGH SCHOOL, WENT OFF
TO COLLEGE, STARTED A FAMILY,
STRUGGLED THROUGH CAREERS.
THE SAME PERSON,
UNTIL I LOOK IN A MIRROR.
DECADES ROLL BY.
EXPERIENCES ACCUMULATE.
MEMORIES MULTIPLY;
GOOD ONES, BAD ONES.
EVERY MOLECULE OF MY BODY
CHANGES MANY TIMES OVER.
YET I SENSE MYSELF,
INSIDE, ALL TOGETHER THE SAME.
"I" AM ALWAYS "ME".
NOT JUST CONTINUITY, BUT UNITY.
BUT IS MY UNITY OF
SELF AN ILLUSION?
HOW DOES PERSONAL
IDENTITY PERSIST THROUGH TIME?
I'M ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN
AND CLOSER TO TRUTH
IS MY JOURNEY TO FIND OUT.
I PERSIST THROUGH TIME.
BUT HOW?
I MAY FEEL HAPPY, SAD,
ENERGETIC, LETHARGIC - WHATEVER.
HOW IS IT THE SAME "I"
HAVING THESE FEELINGS?
THAT'S THE CRUX
OF THE QUESTION.
IF IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT I DO
PERSIST, THE MORE I THINK ABOUT
ALL MY CHANGES.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL.
THE LESS OBVIOUS IT
BECOMES HOW I PERSIST.
THERE ARE MANY THEORIES, OF
COURSE IN TWO BIG CATEGORIES;
NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL.
I BEGIN WITH NATURALISM - THE
CLAIM THAT ONLY PHYSICAL THINGS
ARE REAL AND ONLY
PHYSICAL CAUSES MAKE SENSE.
I GO TO CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND,
TO MEET A PHILOSOPHER OF MIND,
ETHICS, AND LANGUAGE,
SIMON BLACKBURN.
SIMON, SO HOW CAN WE DEAL
WITH THIS PERSISTENCE OF PERSON
THROUGH TIME?
THE PERSISTENCE OF A PERSON
HAS OFTEN BEEN COMPARED TO THE
PERSISTENCE OF A
COMMONWEALTH OR CLUB.
YOU COULD HAVE THE
SAME FOOTBALL CLUB.
IT'S GOT DIFFERENT PLAYERS,
DIFFERENT MANAGERS, DIFFERENT
GROUND PERHAPS.
WHAT, WHAT'S THE SAME.
ALMOST NOTHING BUT THE NAME.
SO WE MIGHT BE MORE LIKE A
FOOTBALL CLUB THAN WE ARE LIKE A
LITTLE HARD ATOM WHICH STAYS
THE SAME FOR CENTURIES OF TIME.
AND I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
WE ARE ORGANIZED ANIMALS AND
ANIMALS CHANGE AND GROW AND GROW
OLD.
AND DIE.
I THINK WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT WITH
OURSELVES IS THAT WE LIKE TO
THINK OF OURSELVES AS
HAVING A HARD AND FAST IDENTITY.
THERE'S A PERSISTENCE OF
MEMORIES, A PERSISTENCE OF
ORGANIZATION, A
PERSISTENCE OF PERSONALITY.
THAT WILL CHANGE BUT
THERE'S A SPEED LIMIT.
IT CHANGES SLOWLY.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY THERE IS
PROBLEM OF PERSONAL IDENTITY.
IN A WAY THERE ISN'T A
PROBLEM OF SAY BICYCLE IDENTITY.
THIS PROBLEM OF PERSONS
PERSISTING IN TIME IS REALLY TWO
SEPARATE KINDS OF ISSUES.
ON THE ONE HAND IT'S THE
QUESTION OF PERSISTENCE OF TIME
OF ANYTHING.
HOW DOES ANYTHING PERSIST IN
TIME AND THEN WHAT OF THE NATURE
OF PERSONS AND SELVES AND
NOW YOU'RE COMBINING TWO
PHILOSOPHICAL
PROBLEMS INTO A NEW PROBLEM.
YES EXACTLY, BECAUSE AFTER
ALL THE PERSISTENCE OF LOTS OF
THINGS THROUGH TIME DOESN'T
DEPEND ON THE PERSISTENCE OF
THEIR PARTS.
I MEAN THE TREE CELLS MIGHT GROW
AND CHANGE OVER TIME AND IT'S
THE SAME TREE.
SO PERSISTENCE OF THINGS
THROUGH TIME CAN SURVIVE THE NON
PERSISTENCE OF THEIR PARTS
AND THAT'S A GENERAL TRUTH.
YOUR FEELING AND MY FEELING THAT
MY SENSE OF SELF IS A HARDER
CORE WOULD NATURALLY LEAD TO
SOME RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF SOULS
AND SPIRITS YES, I THINK IT'S AN
ILLUSION BUT IT'S A VERY, VERY
HARD ILLUSION TO SHIFT.
SO YOU IMAGINE FOR EXAMPLE SAY
SOMEBODY BEING ABLE TO TAKE TWO
HALVES OF YOUR BRAIN, EACH OF
THEM CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING A
FUNCTIONING HUMAN BEING, PUTTING
ONE HALF IN ONE BODY AND ANOTHER
HALF IN A DIFFERENT BODY
AND THEN WHICH ONE IS YOU.
AND THAT SEEMS VERY PUZZLING
BECAUSE WE DON'T' WE CAN'T
REALLY WRAP OUR MINDS AROUND, WE
CAN'T IMAGINE BEING TWO PEOPLE
AT A LATER TIME
YOU'VE GOT TWO PEOPLE.
NOW SOME WOULD CLAIM AT THIS
POINT THAT THIS UNCERTAINTY IS A
FURTHER FACT THAT CANNOT BE
ADJUDICATED BY THE PHYSICAL
WORLD.
THEREFORE THERE IS SOMETHING
BEYOND THE PHYSICAL TO EXPLAIN
THE SELF.
YES, I THINK THAT'S A MISTAKE
ABOUT THINK IT'S A NATURAL
MISTAKE.
I THINK THAT THE IT COMES FROM
WHAT WE CALL REIFYING, MAKING A
THING OUT OF THE
SOUL OR THE SELF.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT SELF
SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF IN THING
TERMS AT ALL.
I THINK THE SELF IS A PRINCIPLE
OF ORGANIZATION OF A BODY, A
LIVING BODY AND IF YOU'VE GOT
TWO LIVING BODIES WHICH ARE
ORGANIZED, YOU'VE GOT 2 PEOPLE.
IF HERE'S DESCENDENTS OF ONE
PERSON WELL THAT SHOULD BE NO
MORE PUZZLING THAN THE, THE
MOTORWAY SPLITTING IN TWO AND
YOU'VE GOT TWO ROADS, EACH
OF THEM A DESCENDANT OF THE
PREVIOUS ROAD.
IT WOULD BE A KIND OF PARENTING.
THE QUESTION OF "HOW PERSONAL
IDENTITY PERSISTS THROUGH TIME"
SEEMS THE CONJUNCTION OF
TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS, [EACH
FUNDAMENTAL]: FIRST, HOW DOES
ANYTHING PERSIST THROUGH TIME?
PLANETS, OCEANS,
COUNTRIES, CARS?
SECOND, WHAT ARE PERSONS?
IS THERE ANYTHING
SPECIAL ABOUT PERSONHOOD?
ONE ANSWER COULD BE THAT PERSONS
ARE THE SAME LIVING ORGANISM.
THE SELF, A
"PRINCIPLE OF ORGANIZATION".
BUT IS THIS SUFFICIENT?
BUT DOES THIS HAVE
SUFFICIENT EXPLANATORY POWER?
IT SEEMS TOO
SIMPLE, TOO GENERAL.
AND WHAT OF THOSE MYSTIFYING
"SPLIT-BRAIN TRANSPLANTS?"
SIMON WOULD HAVE "NO
METAPHYSICAL PUZZLE," WITH "TWO
WIVES" FROM THE SAME BRAIN.
BUT IF MY BRAIN WERE SPLIT
BETWEEN TWO BODIES - IT'D NOT BE
LIKE ONE ROAD
SPLITTING INTO TWO ROADS.
BECAUSE I HAVE AN INNER SENSE OF
UNIFIED CONSCIOUSNESS, AND ROADS
DO NOT.
BRAIN TRANSPLANT THOUGHT
EXPERIMENTS ARE REVEALING, SO I
PURSUE THEM WITH THE EDITOR OF
THINK MAGAZINE - A PHILOSOPHER
KNOWN FOR CLARIFYING
COMPLEX PROBLEMS STEVEN LAW.
WE'VE GOT TWO INDIVIDUALS, LET'S
SAY, LET'S CALL ONE JIM AND THE
OTHER ONE JOHN, SAY.
THEY ARE SAT DOWN AND
THEIR BRAINS ARE REMOVED.
WE TAKE JIM'S BRAIN AND WE
STICK IT IN JOHN'S BODY, WE TAKE
JOHN'S BRAIN AND
STICK IT IN JIM'S BODY.
LET'S ASSUME THAT THE BRAIN IS
WHAT CAUSALLY UNDERPINS YOUR
MEMORY, YOUR
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND SO ON.
THE TWO INDIVIDUALS WAKE UP, WE
ASK THE PERSON IN JOHN'S BODY,
WHO ARE YOU?
THEY'RE GOING TO SAY JIM, CAUSE
THEY'VE GOT YOU KNOW, JIM'S
BRAIN.
THE PERSON IN JIM'S BODY IS
GOING TO SAY THAT THEY'RE JOHN.
ALL OF THEIR MEMORIES HAVE
BEEN MOVED OVER AS HAVE THEIR
PERSONALITY TRAITS.
NOW, THAT'S A, THAT'S A SCENARIO
WE CAN ENVISAGE AND NOW WE TEST
OUR INTUITIONS, WHERE DID
JIM AND WHERE DID JOHN END UP.
NOW, MOST PEOPLE WILL SAY, JIM'S
IN JOHN'S BODY, AND JOHN'S IN
JIM'S BODY AND IF THAT'S TRUE,
THEN YOU DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE
TO GO WHERE YOUR BODY GOES.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS THAT IT'S NOT
MY BODY THAT'S ME, BECAUSE THAT
CHANGES ANYWAY, BUT IT'S MY
MEMORIES, IT'S MY PERSONALITY,
IT'S MY, IT'S REALLY
MY INNER AWARENESS.
YEAH, WELL THE, THE IDEA THAT,
IT'S THE KIND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO, YOU DON'T NEED THE SAME
BODY, YOU GO WHERE THE MEMORIES
SAY YOU GO.
BUT YOU CAN HAVE A CASE WHERE,
I MEAN I HAVE SOME KIND OF A
DISEASE OR A TUMOR IN MY, IN MY
BRAIN AND, SO NOW I'VE GOTTEN
RID OF MY MEMORY, BUT YOU
WOULDN'T SAY THAT I'M NOT AS,
THE SAME PERSON.
NO BUT THEN THERE WOULD STILL
BE A GREAT MANY PSYCHOLOGICAL
ATTRIBUTES THAT
WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED.
I MEAN THERE WOULD BE YOUR
VARIOUS PERSONALITY- THOSE WHO,
WHO, WHO GO WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL
CONTINUITY AS THE RELEVANT
CRITERION, TEND TO BROADEN
THINGS OUT FROM JUST MEMORY, IN
ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THOUGH
THAT KIND OF POSSIBILITY.
THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN A SOUL
WOULD CLAIM THAT YOU CANNOT HAVE
PERSONAL IDENTITY OVER
TIME WITHOUT SOME SORT OF A
NON-PHYSICAL COMPONENT BECAUSE
EACH OF THESE PHYSICAL THINGS
ALL OF THAT CAN GO ONE WAY OR
ANOTHER BUT THERE'S STILL THE
ESSENCE OF THIS PERSON.
WELL THEY CAN CLAIM THAT BUT
THEY'LL HAVE TO COME UP WITH AN
ARGUMENT FOR IT.
WELL THE ARGUMENT IS, IS JUST
THAT IN ORDER FOR THAT PERSON TO
CONTINUE OVER TIME, TO
PERSIST THROUGH TIME, NO OTHER
CHARACTERISTIC OF ITSELF HAS THE
POWER TO DO THAT OTHER THAN SOME
SUPERNATURAL THING.
WHY DOES IT HAVE
TO BE SUPERNATURAL?
WHY NOT NATURAL?
IN FACT LOCKE THOUGHT ABOUT
SOULS AND HE WAS OBVIOUSLY AWARE
OF THE IDEA THAT THE PERSON
COULD BE IDENTIFIED WITH A
PARTICULAR SOUL.
BUT HE DIDN'T LIKE THAT IDEA.
AND THE REASON HE DIDN'T LIKE IS
BECAUSE HE RAN, IN EFFECT, THE
SAME THOUGHT EXPERIMENT THAT WE
DID WITH JIM AND JOHN, ONLY HE
DID IT WITH SOULS.
WHAT YOU DO IS YOU, RATHER
THAN GETTING YOUR TWO MATERIAL
SUBSTANCES, YOU GET YOUR
TWO IMMATERIAL SUBSTANCES.
SO LET'S SUPPOSE THAT YOU KNOW,
LOCKE IS RIGHT, AND THAT YOU GO
WHERE THE MEMORIES GO OR
WHERE THE PERHAPS, THE, THE
PERSONALITY TRAITS END UP.
THE PROBLEM YOU THEN END UP
WITH IS THIS, THAT, THE RIVER OF
MEMORIES AND SO ON COULD,
COULD END UP GOING OFF IN TWO
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, SO IT ENDS
UP WITH TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE,
SAY WITH THE SAME MEMORIES.
WE WOULD THEN HAVE TO SAY
THAT THEY WERE BOTH THE EARLIER
INDIVIDUAL, BUT IF WE SAY THAT
THEN WE'LL HAVE TO SAY THAT THEY
ARE IDENTICAL WITH EACH OTHER,
AND CLEARLY THEY'RE NOT, THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE
IS TWO, ALL RIGHT?
SO, THERE IS THIS CLASSICAL
PROBLEM WITH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORY, WITH THE MEMORY THEORY,
AND IN FACT YOU MIGHT SAY,
SURELY THIS MAKES IT LOOK LIKE
YOU NEED SOME KIND OF CONCRETE
THING AFTER ALL, A, A
PHYSICAL BODY, AND ANIMAL.
THAT'S THE ONLY SOLUTION HERE.
AND, AND SO THAT'S A THORNY
PUZZLE, AND I DON'T PRETEND TO
KNOW THE ANSWER TO IT.
MY MEMORY IS ME.
YES, BUT ELIMINATE MY MEMORY AND
I'D STILL HAVE MY FIRST-PERSON
SENSE OF INNER AWARENESS.
MY PERSONALITY TRAITS ARE ME,
YES AGAIN, BUT ELIMINATE MY
PERSONALITY TRAITS, AND, THOUGH
I'D ACT AND FEEL DIFFERENTLY,
I'D STILL BE AWARE THAT I AM ME.
DO I NEED A PERSISTENT
PHYSICAL BODY TO BE ME?
THE THEORY SEEMS DEFEATED BY
THE BRAIN TRANSPLANT THOUGHT
EXPERIMENTS.
MEMORY, PERSONALITY, BODY.
NO, NO, NO.
WHAT, THEN, MAKES ME?
I NOW EXPLORE
SUPERNATURAL THEORIES.
I ASK A PHILOSOPHER WHO ASSERTS
THAT A NONPHYSICAL COMPONENT IS
REQUIRED TO MAKE THE HUMAN MIND.
I GO TO OXFORD TO VISIT THE
DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR OF "THE
EVOLUTION OF THE
SOUL" RICHARD SWINBURNE.
IF YOU WANT TO TELL THE WHOLE
STORY OF THE WORLD, YOU MUST SAY
WHAT OBJECTS THERE ARE IN THE
WORLD, SUBSTANCES THERE ARE, AND
WHAT PROPERTIES THEY
HAVE AT DIFFERENT TIMES.
OF COURSE, THAT WILL INCLUDE ALL
THE PHYSICAL OBJECTS, ALL THE
TABLES AND CHAIRS AND PLANETS
AND ATOMS, AND WHAT PROPERTIES
THEY HAVE, WHAT THEIR MASS IS,
AND WHAT RELATIONS THEY HAVE TO
OTHER ATOMS.
BUT, OF COURSE, THAT
WON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
YOU WILL ALSO HAVE TO TELL
THE CONSCIOUS LIFE, WHICH IS
ASSOCIATED WITH EACH BODY.
YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE THE
SENSATIONS AND THE BELIEFS AND
THE THOUGHTS..
BUT EVEN THAT WON'T DO BECAUSE
IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH THIS, WITH
TELLING 11:46:28:17 ALL ABOUT
THE PHYSICAL OBJECTS AND THEIR
PROPERTIES, AND ALL ABOUT THE
ASSOCIATED MENTAL PROPERTIES,
THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MY BODY AND
I MIGHT HAVE YOURS BECAUSE - IT
MIGHT BE THAT YOU WERE BORN WITH
YOUR GENES AND INHABITED MY BODY
AND HAD MY THOUGHTS AND SO ON,
AND I WAS BORN WITH YOUR GENES
AND HAD YOUR BODY AND YOUR
THOUGHTS, AND THE WORLD BE
EXACTLY THE SAME BUT OF COURSE,
THE WORLD WOULD BE CRUCIALLY
DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE
TO HAVE THOSE EXPERIENCES AND I
WOULD BE HAVING
THESE EXPERIENCES.
SO, A FULL STORY OF THE WORLD,
HAS GOT TO BRING IN A FURTHER
ELEMENT, IS IT'S GOT TO PICK OUT
SUBJECTS THAT EXPERIENCE, NOT
JUST BY THE EXPERIENCES THEY
HAVE, NOT JUST BY THE PHYSICAL
BODIES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
IT, BUT FIND SOME OTHER WAY.
IN WHAT WAY?
WELL, THE OBVIOUS WAY TO PUT IT
IS TO SAY THAT THEY ARE SEPARATE
MENTAL ENTITIES FOR WHICH
THE NATURAL WORD IS SOUL.
I AM MY SOUL TOGETHER WITH AND
THAT HAS CERTAIN PROPERTIES IN
THE SENSE OF THOUGHTS AND
SENSATIONS, AND IT'S ASSOCIATED
WITH A BODY THAT HAS CERTAIN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, AND SO ON.
YOU'VE GOT TO BRING IN PERSONS
AN YOU'VE GOT TO DEFINE PERSON
NOT IN TERMS OF THE BODY THAT
THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH, BUT IN
TERMS OF THE SOUL.
THEREFORE, GIVEN THAT
SOULS CONSTITUTE THE PERSONAL
IDENTITY, THE CONTINUED
EXISTENCE OF ME WILL CONSIST IN
THE CONTINUED
EXISTENCE OF MY SOUL.
NOW, MAYBE, OF COURSE, THAT
CAN'T FUNCTION ON ITS OWN.
MAYBE IT CAN ONLY FUNCTION
WHEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE BODY.
BUT, IN THAT CASE, MY CONTINUED
EXISTENCE WOULD CONSIST IN IT
BEING JOINED TO A BODY AGAIN,
POSSIBLY A BODY MADE OUT OF FEW
OF THESE SAME BONES, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY, MAYBE AN ENTIRELY
NEW BODY.
THAT'S WHAT MY
EXISTENCE WOULD CONSIST IN.
DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THIS SOUL IS?
IS IT A DIFFERENTIATED QUALITY?
WHAT'S TO PREVENT YOUR SOUL FROM
GETTING MIXED UP WITH MY SOUL?
IT IS NOT ANALYZED,
FURTHER, IT HAS NO EXTENSION.
IT IS AN IMMATERIAL PARTICULAR.
IT DOES, OF COURSE, HAVE
CHARACTERISTICS, PROPERTIES.
IT HAS THESE THOUGHTS, THESE
FEELINGS, THESE ATTITUDES TO
LIFE AND SO ON.
BUT, - AND IN FACT, WE
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SOULS IN
TERMS OF THE BODIES WITH
WHICH THEY ARE ASSOCIATED.
BUT, OF COURSE, IF THEY GET
SEPARATED FROM BODIES, AND THEY,
THEY WERE TO HAVE THE SAME
THOUGHTS AS EACH OTHER AND
ATTITUDE TO LIFE AS EACH OTHER,
IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE FOR US
TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM.
OF COURSE, A SUPERIOR BEING
MIGHT HAVE, MIGHT SEE THINGS IN
THE WAY WELL, YOU CAN'T,
AND THEREFORE RECOGNIZE THE
DIFFERENCE, BUT FOR US TO
INTERACT WITH OTHERS AND TO BE
ABLE TO RECOGNIZE OTHERS,
WE NEED DIFFERENT PUBLIC
CHARACTERISTICS.
YES.
POSTULATING SOULS TO EXPLAIN
PERSISTENCE OF PERSONS IS OUT OF
FAVOR, BUT
RICHARD IS UNDETERRED.
HE ARGUES THAT SUBJECTIVE
EXPERIENCE, OUR INNER AWARENESS,
IS A "FURTHER FACT" ABOUT THE
WORLD - UNEXPLAINED BY PHYSICAL
FACTS.
HERE I FIND
MYSELF OF TWO VOICES.
ONE SHOUTS: WE'VE REACHED THE
LIMITS OF PHILOSOPHY - PROGRESS
CAN MADE ONLY BY BRAIN SCIENCE.
THE OTHER WHISPERS: IF,
PERCHANCE, THERE'S ANYTHING
NON-PHYSICAL ABOUT THE HUMAN
MIND, THERE'D LIKELY BE NO
SCIENTIFIC METHOD TO DISCERN IT.
BUT SINCE THE NON-PHYSICAL
CLOSES OFF INQUIRY, I PURSUE THE
BRAIN SCIENCE.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BRAIN
THAT COULD ELUCIDATE HOW PERSONS
CAN PERSIST?
ARE THERE BRAIN PARTS
RELATED TO PERSONAL IDENTITY?
PERHAPS WE CAN LEARN
FROM BRAIN DEFICITS.
I GO TO LOS ANGELES, UCLA,
TO MEET THE DIRECTOR OF THE
TENNENBAUM CENTER FOR
THE BIOLOGY OF CREATIVITY,
NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST ROBERT BILDER.
SO THE CONCEPT OF
PERSONAL IDENTITY IN, FOR A
NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST LINKS
US TO A DISEASE CONCEPT.
WE HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF
OUR BRAIN DEDICATED TO THE
REPRESENTATION OF ALL OF
THE ASPECTS OF OUR BODY,
INCLUDING NOT JUST OUR SKIN
SURFACES, THE POSITION OF ALL OF
OUR JOINTS IN SPACE, ALL OF
THESE THINGS ARE REPRESENTED IN
OUR BRAIN, AND THE HIGH LEVEL
CONSTRUCTS THAT REFLECT THE
INTEGRATED SYNTHESIS OF ALL THAT
INFORMATION DOES PROVIDE US WITH
A KEY SENSE OF SELF, AND WE
KNOW THAT CAN BE DESTROYED WITH
CERTAIN KINDS OF
LESIONS IN THE BRAIN.
THERE ARE ALSO PROBABLY OTHER
REALLY CRITICAL COMPONENTS
IN THE SENSE OF SELF, THAT COME
FROM US BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY
OUR OWN WILLED INTENTIONS.
WHAT IS IT THAT
WE INTENDED TO DO?
WHAT IS OUR PLAN FOR ACTION?
AND I THINK THIS IS TIED TO THE
PRIMITIVE ACTION SYSTEMS OF THE
BRAIN AND IT IS ULTIMATELY
LINKED TO OUR MOTOR CONTROL AND
HOW WE ACT UPON OUR ENVIRONMENT.
THE GENERAL FEELING THAT WE HAVE
IS THAT OUR PERSONAL IDENTITY
HAS THIS UNITY.
BUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT
IT'S REALLY MADE UP OF A LARGE
NUMBER OF COMPONENTS THAT
WE'RE NOT EVEN AWARE OF.
YES, THE EXPERIMENTS IN NATURE
THAT CAUSE NEUROPATHOLOGY
SOMETIMES SHOW US HOW THESE
THINGS CAN BE DISCONNECTED.
SO WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A
LACK OF SENSE OF SELF,
AND A LOSS OF THE SENSE OF
REALITY, THAT'S TIED TO
OTHER KINDS OF DISTURBANCES
IN THE SENSE OF FAMILIARITY.
SO, TO THINK ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT ALL OF US HAVE FROM TIME TO
TIME, THE SENSE OF DEJA VU, THE
SENSE THAT YOU KNOW, WE'VE
EXPERIENCED SOMETHING BEFORE,
OR THE SENSE OF JAMAIS VU,
WHICH IS THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING
IN A FAMILIAR PLACE AND HAVING
IT BE VERY UNFAMILIAR.
THAT'S MUCH MORE CLOSELY
TIED, I THINK TO THIS LOSS OF
THE SENSE OF IDENTITY.
THERE ARE SYNDROMES OF BODY
DISMORPHIC DISORDER WHERE PEOPLE
FEEL THAT PARTS OF THEIR
BODY ARE SUDDENLY UM, UNUSUAL,
DEFORMED OR NOT PART
OF THEMSELVES ANYMORE.
WE CAN PRODUCE RELATIVELY
SPECIFIC LESIONS IN THE BRAIN
THAT LEAD US TO HAVE A COMPLETE
LOSS OF OUR SENSE OF AGENCY,
AND, AND VOLITION.
WE'RE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND
SOME OF THE BRAIN CIRCUITRY
THAT'S INVOLVED IN REPRESENTING
THESE UM, THE, THE SENSE OF SELF
AND THE SENSE OF AGENCY, THE
SENSE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS.
SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING
AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT
RESPONSIBLE FOR IT?
YES, IT'S THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF
THE UH, ALIEN HAND SIGN, UH, IS
ONE WHERE YOU KNOW, A
PERSON PERFORMS AN ACTION, LIKE
BRUSHING A FLY OFF THEIR
SHOULDER, UM, AND UH, UH,
DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR IT AND THEY
THINK THAT SOMEBODY ELSE DID,
YOU DID THAT TO ME, ACTUALLY IN
ALL OF THE UM, PSYCHOTIC
DISORDERS, UM, THERE CAN OFTEN
BE A DISCONNECTION BETWEEN ONE'S
UM, UH, SENSE OF UH, SELF AND
UH, WHERE EXTERNAL STIMULI UM,
ARE DOMINATING BRAIN FUNCTION.
SO IT LOOKS AS THOUGH IN UM, IN
MOST AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS,
THERE IS ACTIVITY WITHIN OUR
TEMPORAL LOBE, THE AUDITORY
LINGUISTIC SYSTEM OF THE
BRAIN, THAT IS ONGOING.
YOU CAN DOCUMENT IT WITH SCANS,
UM, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL DOESN'T
HAVE A SENSE THAT THEY GENERATED
THAT ACTIVITY THEMSELVES, SO
THEY THEREFORE BELIEVE,
LOGICALLY, THAT IT'S COMING FROM
AN EXTERNAL SOURCE.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT OUR
SENSE OF SELF IS A MIRAGE?
WELL, I DON'T THINK IT'S ANYMORE
MIRAGE THAN ANY OTHER KIND OF
BRAIN ACTIVITY, UM, BUT I THINK
THAT WE HAVE TO APPRECIATE THAT
ALL OF OUR SENSORIUM, ALL OF OUR
EXPERIENCES, ALL OF OUR SENSES,
ARE PRODUCTS OF BRAIN
ACTIVITY, BRAIN FUNCTION.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT MINIMIZES
THE PROCESS IN ANY WAY.
I THINK IT'S MIRACULOUS.
BRAIN DEFICITS, NEUROPATHOLOGY
CAN CAUSE HIGHLY SPECIFIC
PERSONALITY DISORDERS.
DO THESE DISORDERS
NEGATE A UNIFIED SELF?
OR MERELY PORTRAY A SELF WITH
AN INJURY, LIKE A BODY WITH A
BROKEN BONE?
HOW MUCH OF ONE'S NORMAL
PERSONAL IDENTITY CAN BE
DISTURBED BEFORE ONE IS
NO LONGER THE SAME PERSON?
IF BRAIN DEFICITS UNMASK A
MYTHICAL "UNIFIED SELF" AS AN
INTERTWINED BUNDLE OF DISCRETE
MENTAL CAPACITIES AND TRAITS,
THEN PERSONAL
IDENTITY MAY BE AN ILLUSION.
AND THE QUESTION OF HOW PERSONAL
IDENTITY PERSISTS MAY BECOME
MEANINGLESS.
I FEEL THE PULL
BACK TO PHILOSOPHY.
THERE IS YET ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
OF PERSONS AND SELVES.
WISDOM AND CONTEMPLATIVE
TRADITIONS ORIGINATING IN
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY THEY
OFFER A RADICAL VIEW
OF PERSONAL IDENTITY.
I GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE TO VISIT A
NEUROSCIENTIST IMMERSED IN
CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES, ROGER
WALSH.
FROM A NEUROLOGICAL POSITION
OR PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE AND WE
MAINTAIN OUR IDENTITY BECAUSE OF
THE VERY NATURE OF THE BRAIN AND
ITS CAPACITY FOR SETTING UP
CIRCUITS THAT CONTINUE TO
REVERBERATE IN HABITUAL WAYS.
BUT OF COURSE, IF WE LOOK AT IT
FROM, SAY, A SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE,
THEN, OF COURSE, OUR IDENTITY IS
DETERMINED AND REINFORCED OVER
TIME BY FACTORS, FOR
EXAMPLE, ECONOMIC FACTORS.
IF I'M A POOR PERSON, IF I'M A
RICH PERSON, THAT SETS UP A VERY
DIFFERENT IDENTITY,
WHICH CAN MARK US FOR LIFE.
THEN THERE ARE CULTURAL FACTORS,
THE SHARED BELIEFS ABOUT WHO I
AM.
A MAN, A WOMAN, AND WHAT THIS
MEANS ABOUT WHO I AM AND CAN BE,
ET CETERA.
BUT THEN THERE ARE THE INTERNAL
FACTORS TOO, THE SUBJECTIVE
FACTORS.
WE KNOW THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL
FACTORS AND HABITS WITHIN US
WORK TO CREATE A FIRMLY
ESTABLISHED SENSE OF IDENTITY.
AND THEN FINALLY THERE'S THE
CONTEMPLATIVE OR SPIRITUAL
PERSPECTIVE TELL US THAT
ACTUALLY WHAT WE ASSUME -
USUALLY ASSUME OURSELVES TO
BE ISN'T WHO WE REALLY ARE.
AND WHAT THEY TELL US IS THAT
WHEN WE TURN ATTENTION INWARD
AND LOOK VERY CAREFULLY, WE
FIND THAT ACTUALLY WE ARE THE
AWARENESS OR CONSCIOUSNESS OR
MIND OR SOUL OR SPIRIT OR TAO,
LOTS OF DIFFERENT NAMES,
WHICH IS WITNESSING THAT LITTLE
SELF-IMAGE.
SO THEY INVITE US TO A VERY
RADICALLY DIFFERENT IDENTITY.
NOW, NEUROSCIENTISTS IN GENERAL
WOULD CLAIM THAT ALL OF THE FOUR
LEVELS ABOVE WOULD ALL BE
REDUCIBLE TO NEURONS IN SOME
COMPLEX FASHION, AND ULTIMATELY,
ALL OF THAT HAS TO BE EXPRESSED
IN THE PATTERN OF A WHOLE
BUNCH OF NEURONS FIRING IN
YOUR CRANIUM.
WELL, OF COURSE, BUT ANYONE WHO
KNOWS SOMETHING, FOR EXAMPLE,
ABOUT SYSTEMS THEORY APPRECIATES
THAT NO ACCOUNT OF A HIGHER
LEVEL CAN FULLY BE
GIVEN BY A LOWER LEVEL.
SO THAT, YES, IT'S ABSOLUTELY
CRUCIAL FOR US TO KNOW AS MUCH
AS WE POSSIBLY CAN ABOUT THE
BRAIN, BUT NO AMOUNT OF BRAIN
SCIENCE IS GOING TO TELL YOU
ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF CULTURAL
ENRICHMENT OR DEPRAVATION OR OF
BELIEFS ABOUT WHAT IT IS TO BE A
MAN OR A WOMAN, FOR EXAMPLE.
THEOLOGIANS WOULD SAY NOW WE
HAVE TO ADD SOMETHING THAT'S NOT
PHYSICAL, SOMETHING IMMATERIAL,
IN ORDER TO REALLY MAKE SENSE
OUT OF THIS WHOLE PICTURE.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
WHEREAS I FORMALLY BELIEVE
VERY MUCH ALONG WITH THE
REDUCTIONISTIC CAMP THAT THE
BRAIN AND ATOMS EXPLAIN IT ALL.
AS A RESULT OF MY OWN BOTH
PERSONAL EXPLORATION AND
CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES AND OF A
LONG-TERM STUDY OF CONTEMPLATIVE
AND SPIRITUAL LITERATURE, I'VE
BEGUN TO THINK THAT THERE'S A
LOT MORE TO OUR REALITY AND THAT
NO ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF
HUMAN NATURE CAN BE OBTAINED
WITHOUT AN APPRECIATION OF THE
CONTEMPLATIVE OR SPIRITUAL, AND
THAT A FULL PICTURE WILL HAVE TO
TAKE ALL THESE
DOMAINS INTO ACCOUNT.
THE QUESTION "HOW PERSONAL
IDENTITY PERSISTS THROUGH TIME"
COMBINES TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS:
WHAT IS PERSISTENCE THROUGH
TIME?
WHAT ARE PERSONS?
TO EXPLAIN PERSISTENCE,
NOTHING MATERIAL WORKS.
SOME KIND OF PATTERN IS NEEDED.
INFORMATION, PERHAPS.
TO EXPLAIN PERSONS, I SEE
FOUR LEVELS: BRAIN SYSTEMS
PSYCHOLOGICAL (PRIVATE).
SOCIOLOGICAL (INTERACTIVE).
CULTURE.
WHAT ABOUT INNER AWARENESS,
BELIEFS, INTENTIONS, FEELINGS?
TO TOTALLY EXPLAIN PERSONS,
IS A NONPHYSICAL CATEGORY
ALSO NEEDED?
AND THEREFORE, TO MAINTAIN
PERSONAL IDENTITY THROUGH TIME,
IS SOMETHING
IMMATERIAL REQUIRED?
MOST ASSUREDLY NOT DON'T
BE A FOOL: PERSONAL UNITY
IS ALL AN ILLUSION!
MOST ASSUREDLY SO,
LOOK INSIDE; BE MINDFUL:
NOTHING COULD BE CLEARER!
FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE, THIS
CONFLICT, THIS CLASH TAKES US
CLOSER TO TRUTH.
