Who am I...? Really?

[PaulyWalnuts]

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.

How did you know how to speak english if your memory of how to speak english was erased?

Basics. Everyone knows how to speak english how to breath and how to walk. Why because its natural. If you look at babies they Try to walk all the time but can't.

You have to see the glaring error in that statement...lol. Not everyone knows how to speak English right out of the womb. Ask any of the roughly 8 billion people of the world.

 

[HE Starwind]

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.

How did you know how to speak english if your memory of how to speak english was erased?

Basics. Everyone knows how to speak english how to breath and how to walk. Why because its natural. If you look at babies they Try to walk all the time but can't.

Speaking english is natural? Say that to someone who doesnt know english. A language is a LEARNED thing.

Ahhhh, you beat me to it. Chinese people who lost their memories can't speak English.

But then again, this all depends on how people have lost their memories...

For example, if they're entire brain has been restarted then they would have a total inability to speak, but if it's just their memories, like if they had amnesia then they would still retain their natural language, seen as though memories and your language are stored in seperate parts of the brain.

I think I'm correct in saying that anyway.

 

[Booze Zombie]

The brain and body that made you be you will still be there, but the experience, relationships and all that other stuff you develop will be gone.

 

[Incredible Bullshitting Man]

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.

 

[PaulyWalnuts]

Im sure if someone Lost EVERYTHING and i mean everything even there ability to speak then it would be different but look at amnesia victims. They speak their language.

Lol we're just messing with ya. Yes there is a condition called retrograde amnesia (as apposed to anterograde amnesia) where sufferers do not remember events prior to their injury. It affects the pathway between the hippocampus and the temporal lobe. Language abilities are actually stored in various parts of the brain with specific functions (like grammar and vocabulary). So losing ones memories by cutting off their pathway would not destroy language abilities.

 

[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...