Who am I...? Really?

[Gruthar]

I dunno, I think I would be fundamentally the same person. Certainly much of my current self would be lost with my memory, but I think my instincts, my likes and dislikes would not. From what I understand, much of our brain's 'wiring' is shaped through experience. But once it's 'set', it doesn't really need memories to persist.

If I were to lose my memories, I would wager I would find myself liking the same things I used to, but without being able to explain why I like them, or why I'm more or less adept at certain tasks. I would never quite be the same person, but I don't think I'd be radically different either.

 

[rex922]

different person
i feel people are the summation of their upbringing, memories,and experiences

 

[Manbro]

I agree, who we are is made up of our experiences we've had so far. To lose all that, could make someone into a completely different person.

 

[Incredible Bullshitting Man]

*snip*

Ah, well, there always the problem of being surrounded by devious bastards. I hope you don´t lose your memory, because if you do, you´re screwed. Good luck!

 

[Samurai Goomba]

You are who you choose to be. Now choose!

Video game developers love amnesia because it lets players insert themselves into a blank slate personality. I'd say they're probably on the right track there.

 

[n00beffect]

Hmmm, from the point of view of the people who know you, I think you would be the you they know, at least for awhile. Outsiders would still have their memories of you (the way you were), and they would probably hold onto them as long as your new behaviour fits into the form. I would even say that the people around you, the ones who would have to teach to live again, will, unconsciously or not, (re)shape you according to the old mold they have. If this is true, then you probably would still be you, but not completely. There may be some changes, but in the end people would still see you as they did before the sudden attack of amnesia.

Now, is the person you see yourself to be any more significant or real than the person others see? I don´t think it is, since we are constantly under observation and evaluation. There will always be two sides of you, unless you live alone in a hut in a middle of nowhere.

If you have friends like mine NOPE! lol. some try to put in false memories. Sometimes they might be real but Far Fetched but some are so fake i just agree and nod and smile.

Ok.. be it so.But honestly,can you call these people that you speak of your true friends ? I think the person you quoted was referring to his actual friends,THE REAL ONES.And your friends might be jerks at most times,but i think when it comes down to something this serious people take a step back from their usual jerky behaviour and would really try to help you,y'know.

Now.. Back to the topic.I agree with you(the person posting this topic) on the memmory part,but in most cases i've seen people with amnesia still keep the expirience they've gained through life.Subconciously and that expirience (habits,reflexes,caution and such) are often awakened,again subcoinciously,by different scenarios that have hapenned to you before(or similar).So the only thing missing is your actual memmories be it good or bad.. personality? Indeed - you become a hollow,frightened person,unknowing and insecure in his actions - unable to show his true identity (that he lost) so my guess would 50/50 on this one.. but your definetly not the same person as before.

P.S. Sorry for my lousy-written english.. grammar is not my strong point and I am too lazy to check the dictionary also I am a foreighner,so i hope you've understood my view point on this subject,if there are any mistakes i've made (punctual or whatever) please correct me

 

[Spacelord]

So wait, are we talking ALL memory here? Procedural and motor memory included? You'd be a barely sentient vegetable. So, no, you would be a nary a shadow of your former self. If you're talking about just explicit long term memory (memories that you can declare verbally) then you just have selective amnesia: you would still have the same motor habits and cognitive processes.

So I think it's a shit thought experiment. Memory loss should be defined better.

 

[AvsJoe]

Since your memories partially dictate your future actions, you're new future would differ from your previous future, thus making you a different person. Assuming you can understand my logic on this one, anyway.

 

[Pimppeter2]

You would be the same physically, and kinda thoughtly.(? Fuck you its 4 am) Your loved ones could help you re become yourself, to an extent.

 

[mafyapenguin94]

So wait, are we talking ALL memory here? Procedural and motor memory included? You'd be a barely sentient vegetable. So, no, you would be a nary a shadow of your former self. If you're talking about just explicit long term memory (memories that you can declare verbally) then you just have selective amnesia: you would still have the same motor habits and cognitive processes.

So I think it's a shit thought experiment. Memory loss should be defined better.

And I think you're a lil grumpy.
Actually, that thought occurred to me also. At best, I would say that the only memories you have are those of speech and basic motor functions, walking eating thinks like that. You are functional, but a completely blank slate otherwise. You remember how to talk but not why or how you learned or whom taught you.
I guess...

 

[LeonLethality]

it would be a clean slate, yes but I'm sure you would be similar to your old self in a few ways thats just how your brain developed right?

 

[Spitfire175]

You are your memories. If you have a brilliant idea, life changing experience, or something similar withtin those two minutes, yes you will be a different person. All thoughts and decisions made by humans are based on memories. From memories of ideas to memories of events.

This makes the most sense.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

You would be a drooling retard. So I would say you're very different.

 

[ottenni]

Your you with no memories.

So then can you even be considered you? If you used to laugh at squirrels before, but now you see them for the "first time" and you shit your pants, does that make you a different person? Philosophically speaking, not physically

I saw a squirrel run up a tree today bill.
Yeah so what earl?
Well Bill. I shit myself. I was Terrified.
But earl its a squirrel. They're like natures Twitchy kid hopped up on sugar.
Bill....They scare me. Every time i think of squirrels i die a little on the inside.

And so on and so forth lol.

Well would that then be considered to be a matter of perception? I could be perceived as having never changed as i am still me, in all ways, except by memory or thought. Or i could be considered to be completely different for the same reasons. Of course using that logic i could be perceived as a squirrel if viewed from the right perspective so either i'm on a train of thought that makes no sense or the moment you touch on the subject of philosophy you can make up any shit you like. In which case how do you know how to define 'you'? I mean i may call myself Nick, but to my dog i may be known as 'he-who-gives-food', so the question is which am i really? And should i loose my memory and no longer be nick in my eyes, and yet still be 'he-who-gives-food' to my dog, which am i?

 

[Ben Legend]

But surely there are core emotions and morals that make up each person, and when your 'reset' so to speak, you will still abide by those morals and emotions.

 

[Kruxxor]

Alright so this was a topic that came up in my Philosophy class the other day. We were talking about the soul, human consciousness, and essentially, what makes a person a person. And so, during discussion, my professor posed a hypothetical thought experiment. Suppose you were to suddenly and inexplicably lose all of your memories. Is the person that you are now the same as the person that you were two minutes before? Are you still you ,or, have you now become somebody completely different?

I'll try to keep it as short as possible because this is already starting to get a bit long, but, I feel that the essential component that makes a person whom he is would be your memories, and how they shaped your life and actions thus far. While you may be the same person in physical appearance, the change in thought, function, and action of a person completely, in my opinion, changes who you actually are.

So, I would like to hear your thoughts, and possibly change my perspective on this

You will not be the same person. It all depends on how much of your memory is lost and whether it would return.

If all memory is gone (except basic things like how to use the toilet etc) then yes, I believe you would indeed become a different person, it would depend on your influences and interactions after the memory wipe. For example if my memory were to be wiped but I still interacted with the same people, played the same games and listened to the same music then there is a chance I will become my old self again, or something very similar. But you will never be the exact same person you were before.

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

While you are still you, you are a younger version of yourself (actually the youngest version of yourself, no different from when you were just born).

We would have a basic personality that would make us different from everybody else, but we would be far less complex without our memories. Without our memories, we would have a basic shape, but it would be crude sculpture of ourselves. Our memories chisel the fine details into our being, and as such, make up for a lot of who we are.

Those are just my thoughts of the matter, in any case.

 

[the1ultimate]

I am not the same person I was a year ago. I get mistaken for that guy a lot.

In all seriousness, I've always wondered how the you without memories would reconcile with the rest of you if you were to regained your memories.

 

[Inverse Skies]

I suspect you'd be a completely different person. Who we are, our personalities and the way we interact with others, is built up right from when we were children and is influenced by our parents, our friends at school, our teachers etc which eventually forms who you are. If you were to take away those life experiences which have ultimately determined your personality then you would be a completely different person. It's an interesting concept.

 

[fulano]

Didn't alzheimer answer this thread a long time ago? I mean, really, what else is there to say? We are our brains after all.

Not hating, just pointing that out.