We are our memories

[á´…eparted]

I've been playing through a newly released game called SOMA. It's essentially a horror game that deals with the nature of consciousness, what it means to be human, what is human, and how it relates to artificial intelligence. It's an absolutely fascinating, terrifying, and thought provoking game. Once I finish the game I'll make a thread on it (if you are interested btw, don't read anything about the game, any spoilers ruin the experience).

Either way, one particular thing came up that reminds me of something: we're defined by our memories, and without them we have no identity or sense of self. Here's a thought experiment to illustrate that: You're offered a week long vacation to anywhere in the world, with anyone you want. Every expense will be paid, and you will be able to do anything you want with no problem. It will essentially be the perfect trip. Would you take it? Nearly everyone would say yes. However would you take it with the following catch:

You will have absolutely no memory of the experience, with no way to recover it

Under that condition, most people will say no. Why do something if you can't remember it? It's like it never happened at all. Our memories generate meaning, and are required for us to essentially be human.

I sort of want this to be open ended for discussion, so have at it. Are we our memories? Is it that way for you? Why or why not. Discuss.

 

[Forever]

I've been playing through a newly released game called SOMA. It's essentially a horror game that deals with the nature of consciousness, what it means to be human, what is human, and how it relates to artificial intelligence. It's an absolutely fascinating, terrifying, and thought provoking game. Once I finish the game I'll make a thread on it (if you are interested btw, don't read anything about the game, any spoilers ruin the experience).

Either way, one particular thing came up that reminds me of something: we're defined by our memories, and without them we have no identity or sense of self. Here's a thought experiment to illustrate that: You're offered a week long vacation to anywhere in the world, with anyone you want. Every expense will be paid, and you will be able to do anything you want with no problem. It will essentially be the perfect trip. Would you take it? Nearly everyone would say yes. However would you take it with the following catch:

You will have absolutely no memory of the experience, with no way to recover it

Under that condition, most people will say no. Why do something if you can't remember it? It's like it never happened at all. Our memories generate meaning, and are required for us to essentially be human.

I sort of want this to be open ended for discussion, so have at it. Are we our memories? Is it that way for you? Why or why not. Discuss.

Did you get soma from reading one of my previous posts? lol. I didn't play it, but I saw the ending. Not my kinda game. lol.

 

[á´…eparted]

Did you get soma from reading one of my previous posts? lol. I didn't play it, but I saw the ending. Not my kinda game. lol.

I have been waiting for SOMA to come out for months now. The game is basically tailor made for me: atmospheric, insidious creep horror, sci-fi, philosophical, the sounds, deep story that gets you thinking, eerie as hell, basically everything. I'm probably about 1/2 way through it (taking my time), and it's everything I imagined and more. It's totally 100% me.

Note: if anyone wants to talk about soma please put it in spoilers. I'm trying very hard to avoid spoiling anything about the game.

 

[Forever]

I have been waiting for SOMA to come out for months now. The game is basically tailor made for me: atmospheric, insidious creep horror, sci-fi, philosophical, the sounds, deep story that gets you thinking, eerie as hell, basically everything. I'm probably about 1/2 way through it (taking my time), and it's everything I imagined and more. It's totally 100% me.

Note: if anyone wants to talk about soma please put it in spoilers. I'm trying very hard to avoid spoiling anything about the game.

I have given you a second chance if your curiosity is eating away at you.

No but really lol. next spoiler is legit.

when someone sounds evil in the game and uses the word -forces- and gives you a choice, don't do it. Really. This is kinda sort of close to endgame status though, but a bit ways to go still.DON'T TRUST THE DB-Z NAMED CHARACTER-

 

[Evee]

We are pulled by the future, not pushed from the past.

 

[á´…eparted]

We are being pulled by the future, not pushed by the past.

Serious question: If you don't feel like we are defined by our memories, and they are not what makes us, us, then what does?

 

[Evee]

Serious question: If you don't feel like we are defined by our memories, and they are not what makes us, us, then what does?

Our possibilities.

 

[á´…eparted]

Our possibilities.

This is incredibly vague.

Would you not agree that if all of your memories and experiences were wiped (sans required skills like language and stuff), that you would effectively no longer be "you"?

 

[miss fortune]

I was pondering something along the lines of the opposite of that earlier, the relation between people and their bodies. I am my body... what it does and where it's been are merely its story.

 

[Forever]

[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION], (mentioned so you wouldn't miss my answer) I would say yes to your situation (I promise you seeing the game finished didn't influence my answer) because I value experience and reality. I was discussing with those who saw that game too and brought up would they choose to live a fictional life where they could do whatever they wanted. Which in my opinion, I found something inherently wrong about that, because I believe your imagination can't be fueled without real life experiences. So there.

 

[á´…eparted]

I was pondering something along the lines of the opposite of that earlier, the relation between people and their bodies. I am my body... what it does and where it's been are merely its story.

Oh you need to play SOMA. From what I know about you, you will absolutely LOVE it. Oh man.

The idea that "we are our body" is the core fundemental question that is challenged in the game.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I was pondering something along the lines of the opposite of that earlier, the relation between people and their bodies. I am my body... what it does and where it's been are merely its story.

I hardly give any thought to my body at all. I'm too lost in my head. Of course, I think mind-body dualism has been misproven.

 

[Evee]

This is incredibly vague.

Would you not agree that if all of your memories and experiences were wiped (sans required skills like language and stuff), that you would effectively no longer be "you"?

"To Be" means to-be-in-time (To have a beginning and an end) (temporality).

Meaning that to have a beginning, and an end, is what makes Being possible at all.

Memories are just one of the many ways in which we relate to and (re-)experience the world which presupposes temporality (Being-in-time), not the other way around.

So you are quite mixed up.

 

[miss fortune]

Oh you need to play SOMA. From what I know about you, you will absolutely LOVE it. Oh man.

The idea that "we are our body" is the core fundemental question that is challenged in the game.

I'll have to check that out since I've been looking for something else to play, but don't want to wade through a bunch of crap to find something good!

I hardly give any thought to my body at all. I'm too lost in my head. Of course, I think mind-body dualism has been misproven.

I work with my body, so that might be part of it

 

[á´…eparted]

"To Be" means to-be-in-time (To have a beginning and an end) (temporality).

Meaning that to have a beginning, and an end, is what makes Being possible at all.

Memories are just one of the many ways in which we relate to and (re-)experience the world which presupposes temporality (Being-in-time), not the other way around.

So you are quite mixed up.

I was hoping that we could have a productive discussion here, but unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen. I'm just going to end my comments to you here in this thread here.

 

[Evee]

I was hoping that we could have a productive discussion here, but unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen. I'm just going to end my comments to you here in this thread here.

That is unfortunate.

 

[Evee]

Anyway, no we are not defined by our memories (by what has already past) but by our future possibilities, because death (the possibility of the impossibility of Being) is what makes Being possible at all.

That is to say that to have a beginning requires a commitment to an end, in other words, a beginning presupposes an ending.

So to be a Self means to be in time (to be temporal).

 

[á´…eparted]

[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION], (mentioned so you wouldn't miss my answer) I would say yes to your situation (I promise you seeing the game finished didn't influence my answer) because I value experience and reality. I was discussing with those who saw that game too and brought up would they choose to live a fictional life where they could do whatever they wanted. Which in my opinion, I found something inherently wrong about that, because I believe your imagination can't be fueled without real life experiences. So there.

Interesting.

I wouldn't take the trip if I couldn't remember it. The way I look at it is, what's the point? The point of experiences is of course to have them, but what good are they if you can't recall them?

At this point, I can't answer if I'd want to live in a fictional life. Though my reasons are a bit different, and I don't want to discuss them as it sort of spoils part of the game. I'll write them out later in a spoiler.

 

[á´…eparted]

Anyway, no we are not defined by our memories (by what has already past) but by our future possibilities, because death (the possibility of the impossibility of Being) is what makes Being possible at all.

That is to say that to have a beginning requires a commitment to an end, or, alternatively, a beginning presupposes and ending.

To be a Self means to be in time (to be temporal).

This is more grounded so I'll try again.

I don't think you can go insofar as to say we aren't defined by our memories. Reason being, is it's mostly left to the individual to decide what defines themselves. I wouldn't go insofar to say as ALL we are is our memories. That would be foolish. But, I would say that we are no longer "us" without them. Merely a different version of ourselves. If you started over with a clean slate, you can't ever be the person you were previously, because you'd have to copy the exact same series of events to get to that point. Still you, but not exactly you.

 

[Forever]

Interesting.

I wouldn't take the trip if I couldn't remember it. The way I look at it is, what's the point? The point of experiences is of course to have them, but what good are they if you can't recall them?

At this point, I can't answer if I'd want to live in a fictional life. Though my reasons are a bit different, and I don't want to discuss them as it sort of spoils part of the game. I'll write them out later in a spoiler.

Muscle memory. I would go somewhere where I'd do some serious training and then I'd feel superheroic. (I hope muscle memory counts)
Oh okay sounds good.

I come back with a nice bod and never know. It'd be a fun unsolvable mystery imho. hahaha.