Given that your body's atoms recycle themselves, are you really the same person you were years ago?

Question

I mean this from a philosophical perspective not merely literal. Your mind will develop new information and forget old information. How can you define a sense of self?

Answer 1

Depends what you mean by "person."

Whoever you are, you certainly aren't the same exact configuration of matter that constituted your body years ago. And in certain respects you aren't the same person either: you've learned stuff, changed your mind about things, become wiser, more tolerant, more jaded, more liberal, more conservative, whatever.

But in one sense, at least, you have a unified identity: you can tell a (roughly) coherent story about your life so far, tying together all the varied strands of your experiences into a unified narrative with a distinct perspective, explaining the ways you have changed, and the ways you haven't.

So in that respect, you are the same person: only you can tell the story of your life from within, and why not call that unique storyteller a person?

Answer 2

sturdy question! i imagine I actually have truly grown interior the surprising 5 years. i'm 23 now. I actually have a sturdy activity, effective position, large buddies and kin. as far as your issue, merely attempt to picture of the belongings you've more desirable on contained in the surprising 5 years instead of what you haven't stepped forward in. as far because the completed step-ford spouse element, i imagine you may a minimum of take a million day holiday to easily carry out with buddies or spend the day by myself. Be your self and Im particular the former fringe of you that you want a lot will come decrease back. lifestyles is wayyyyyy tooo short to no longer be at liberty with your self. sturdy success!

Answer 3

Usually I look back at how I was five years ago and consider that person to have been an idiot. What's more, I've lived long enough to remember thinking myself an idiot five years before and now thinking that that person still didn't have much of a clue. If I ever STOP experiencing this, I think it will be with a profound sense of loss. It will mean that I've either stopped growing or I will have become perfect. I'm not sure I like either of those choices.

Answer 4

Is it true that your entire brain will recycle itself? This has huge implications. It basically means we are our own clones.