Go Back   Forums > Community Chatterbox > Blah, blah, blah...
Memberlist Forum Rules Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Search Forums:
Click here to use Advanced Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-08-2004, 10:25 PM   #1
Kiddiarni
Guest
Default Who am I?

Is one of the big questions in philosophy

So what is the answer?

Is "I" the body or the Spirit? Or maybe both?

Here is an example that a philosopher made (don't remember his name)

"Mr.A and Mr. B are voluanteers in a test. They go into a machine and exchange "brains". So when Mr.A comes out he has the memories and thoughs, act and everything that is inside you (spiritual, not organic) of Mr. B and vice versa. So, is Mr. A still Mr. A or is He Mr.B now?"

When you have thought about that here's the next part.

"Mr. A has to choose a destiny for him when he comes out of the machine. The decision has to be COMPLETELY NOT-selfish. He has to say, which one will be tortured slowly and painfully to death, and which one of them will get one million dollars(Tax free :P). So if the decision has to be completely UN-selfish which one will get the million? Mr.A or Mr.B?"

Now, if you can reach a decision, all together, you have done something that philosophists haven't done, and probarbly never will.
                       
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:33 PM   #2
Havell
Home Sweet Abandonia

 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Norwich, England
Posts: 1,325
Default

I don't know about the first one but the second one is impossible because if Mr. A choose for himself to be tortured then he would have the charitable satisfaction of being kind to Mr. B so it would be selfish and if he choose to take the money then he would obviously be being selfish.
Havell is offline                         Send a private message to Havell
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:34 PM   #3
Kiddiarni
Guest
Default

Well...If he wouldnt know what the Machine does, what then...What would he choose?
                       
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:36 PM   #4
Havell
Home Sweet Abandonia

 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Norwich, England
Posts: 1,325
Default

Which machine? The brain-swapping machine or the torture machine?
Havell is offline                         Send a private message to Havell
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:36 PM   #5
Kiddiarni
Guest
Default

Brain swapping
                       
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:41 PM   #6
Puffin
Abandonia Homie

 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Shella, Kenya
Posts: 639
Default

So THIS is what you were writing while I was baking the pizza... 8)

Not that we know each other, of course....
As far as this thingy you're talking about... I have NO idea....
Puffin is offline                         Send a private message to Puffin
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:43 PM   #7
Havell
Home Sweet Abandonia

 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Norwich, England
Posts: 1,325
Default

With the first one, neither man would be one of the original men. Say if Mr. A is a contortionist and Mr. B is a weightlifter then swapping bodies would make both of them incapable of their jobs, Mr. A's consiousness would not be able to fit into small boxes etc. with Mr. B bulky body and Mr. B's consiousness would not be able to lift heavy weights with Mr. A's weedy body.
Havell is offline                         Send a private message to Havell
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:44 PM   #8
Kiddiarni
Guest
Default

So you say they're not the same persons after the swap?
                       
Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2004, 10:46 PM   #9
Havell
Home Sweet Abandonia

 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Norwich, England
Posts: 1,325
Default

No, they would be Mr. C and Mr. D.
Havell is offline                         Send a private message to Havell
Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2004, 05:23 AM   #10
Tom Henrik
10 GOSUB Abandonia
20 GOTO 10


 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Orlando, United States
Posts: 4,787
Send a message via AIM to Tom Henrik Send a message via MSN to Tom Henrik
Default

I agree. If you take one part of something (in this case the memories of a human) and combine this with something else (the body of another human, you would get something completely different. The two would interact in ways no one can imagine and create something new.
__________________
ViGERP AKA what I have been working on these last couple of years...
Tom Henrik is offline                         Send a private message to Tom Henrik
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump
 


The current time is 07:27 PM (GMT)

 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.