I remember all (well, most) of my prior experiences, but memory is a small aspect of personal identity, in my opinion. Compared to my old self 10 years ago, I react different, feel differently, speak differently, have different insights, different philosophical ideas, different outlooks. It comes down to a definition though, which is arbitrary. What’s important is: do you identify with your future self enough to have a 1-1 trade off between utility for yourself (you-now) and utility for them (you-in-the-future)?
It is not just memory of experiences from fifteen years ago that make me consider it may be the same identity but the fact that those experiences shaped my identity today, and it happened slowly and contiguously. Every now and then I’d update based on new experiences, data or insights but that didn’t make me a different person the moment it happened.
If identity isn’t maintained through contiguous growth and development then there really is no reason to have any regard at all for your possible future, because it isn’t yours. So smoke ‘em if you got ’em.
Good point. Maybe my future self isn’t exactly me, but its enough like me that I still value it.
It doesn’t really matter though, because I never get to evaluate my future self. I can only reflect on my past. And when I do I do I feel like it is all mine...
I remember all (well, most) of my prior experiences, but memory is a small aspect of personal identity, in my opinion. Compared to my old self 10 years ago, I react different, feel differently, speak differently, have different insights, different philosophical ideas, different outlooks. It comes down to a definition though, which is arbitrary. What’s important is: do you identify with your future self enough to have a 1-1 trade off between utility for yourself (you-now) and utility for them (you-in-the-future)?
It is not just memory of experiences from fifteen years ago that make me consider it may be the same identity but the fact that those experiences shaped my identity today, and it happened slowly and contiguously. Every now and then I’d update based on new experiences, data or insights but that didn’t make me a different person the moment it happened.
If identity isn’t maintained through contiguous growth and development then there really is no reason to have any regard at all for your possible future, because it isn’t yours. So smoke ‘em if you got ’em.
I think you’re making things artificially binary. You offer these two possibilities:
Contiguous experience implies I completely identify with my past and future selves
Identity isn’t maintained through contiguous growth so there is no reason to have any regard at all for my future
Why can’t contiguous experience lead one to partially identify with their past and future selves?
Good point. Maybe my future self isn’t exactly me, but its enough like me that I still value it.
It doesn’t really matter though, because I never get to evaluate my future self. I can only reflect on my past. And when I do I do I feel like it is all mine...