I was midway through writing a response, and I had to explain the “illusion of memory” and why it matters. And then I thought about it. And I think I dissolved the confusion I had about it. I now realize it’s true but adds up to normality and therefore doesn’t lead to a repugnant conclusion.
I think you may have misunderstood what the “illusion” is. It’s not about recognizing others. It’s about recognizing oneself: specifically, self-identifying as an entity that exists over time (although it changes gradually over time). I self-identify like that, so do most other people.
The “illusion”—which was a poor name because there is no real illusion once properly understood—is: on the level of physics there is no tag that stays attached to my self (body or whatever) during its evolution through time. All that physically exists is a succession of time-instants in each of which there is an instance of myself. But why do I connect that set of instances together rather than some other set? The proximate reason is not that it is a set of similar instances, because I am not some mind that dwells outside time and can compare instances for similarity. The proximate reason is that each instant-self has memories of being all the previous selves. If it had different memories, it would identify differently. (“Memories” take time to be “read” in the brain, so I guess this includes the current brain “state” beyond memories. I am using a computer simile here; I am not aware of how the brain really works on this level.)
So memory, which exists in each instant of time, creates an “illusion” of a self that moves through time instead of an infinite sequence of logically-unconnected instances. And the repugnant conclusion (I thought) was that there really was no self beyond the instant, and therefore things that I valued which were not located strictly in the present were not in some sense “mine”; I could as well value having been happy yesterday as someone else having been happy yesterday, because all that was left of it today was memories. In particular, reality could have no value beyond that which false memories could provide, including e.g. false knowledge.
However, now I am able to see that this does in fact add up to normality. Not just that it must do so (like all things) but the way it actually does so. Just as I have extension in space, I have extension in time. Neither of these things makes me an ontologically fundamental entity, but that doesn’t prevent me from thinking of myself as an entity, a self, and being happy with that. Nature is not mysterious.
Unfortunately, I still feel some mystery and lack of understanding regarding the nature of conscious experience. But given that it exists, I have now updated towards “patternism”. I will take challenges like the Big Universe more seriously, and I would more readily agree to be uploaded or clones than I would have this morning.
Thank you for having this drawn-out conversation with me so I could come to these conclusions!
I was midway through writing a response, and I had to explain the “illusion of memory” and why it matters. And then I thought about it. And I think I dissolved the confusion I had about it. I now realize it’s true but adds up to normality and therefore doesn’t lead to a repugnant conclusion.
I think you may have misunderstood what the “illusion” is. It’s not about recognizing others. It’s about recognizing oneself: specifically, self-identifying as an entity that exists over time (although it changes gradually over time). I self-identify like that, so do most other people.
The “illusion”—which was a poor name because there is no real illusion once properly understood—is: on the level of physics there is no tag that stays attached to my self (body or whatever) during its evolution through time. All that physically exists is a succession of time-instants in each of which there is an instance of myself. But why do I connect that set of instances together rather than some other set? The proximate reason is not that it is a set of similar instances, because I am not some mind that dwells outside time and can compare instances for similarity. The proximate reason is that each instant-self has memories of being all the previous selves. If it had different memories, it would identify differently. (“Memories” take time to be “read” in the brain, so I guess this includes the current brain “state” beyond memories. I am using a computer simile here; I am not aware of how the brain really works on this level.)
So memory, which exists in each instant of time, creates an “illusion” of a self that moves through time instead of an infinite sequence of logically-unconnected instances. And the repugnant conclusion (I thought) was that there really was no self beyond the instant, and therefore things that I valued which were not located strictly in the present were not in some sense “mine”; I could as well value having been happy yesterday as someone else having been happy yesterday, because all that was left of it today was memories. In particular, reality could have no value beyond that which false memories could provide, including e.g. false knowledge.
However, now I am able to see that this does in fact add up to normality. Not just that it must do so (like all things) but the way it actually does so. Just as I have extension in space, I have extension in time. Neither of these things makes me an ontologically fundamental entity, but that doesn’t prevent me from thinking of myself as an entity, a self, and being happy with that. Nature is not mysterious.
Unfortunately, I still feel some mystery and lack of understanding regarding the nature of conscious experience. But given that it exists, I have now updated towards “patternism”. I will take challenges like the Big Universe more seriously, and I would more readily agree to be uploaded or clones than I would have this morning.
Thank you for having this drawn-out conversation with me so I could come to these conclusions!
You’re welcome.