The Problem of Identity

1
The Problem of Identity

• Viktor Pavlu
• Gerhard Zlabinger

2
Overview

• Definitions
• Comparison of Views
• Identity and AI

3
Definition of Identity

• from latin identidem idem et idem
• Numerical Identity
• Leibnitz Law (1646-1716)A B iff A and B have
  same properties
• Qualitative Identity
• Physical
• Psychological (Mental)

4
Physical Identity

• Inanimate Objects
• Molecular Structure
• Location
• Animate Entities
• Continuity of Physical States
• Persons?

5
Mental Identity

• wake up, another body
• not impossible to imagine
• still the same you
• ? Mental Identity ? Physical Identitycoined by
  John Locke (1632-1704)
• Memory
• A B iff memories(B) incl. memories(A)

6
Reids Brave Officer (1785)

• Whipped as Boy
• Brave Soldier as Young Man
• remembers being whipped
• General when old
• remembers being brave
• forgot beeing whipped as boy
• According to Locke General ? Boy

7
Derek Parfits Reason Persons (1984)

• A1 AN iff there are N-2 states between
• Mental connectedness
• Whole mental state
• Memory
• taste, sense of humor, mood,

8
Bernard Williams (1929-2003)

• Thought Experiment 1 (similar to Locke)
• 2 Persons A, B ? Brain State Transfer
• 1 Body tortured, 1 gets 100000
• They can decide
• Rational Decision
• A torture A, reward B
• B torture B, reward A

9
Bernard Williams II

• Thought Experiment 2
• A will be tortured tomorrow ? fear
• A will not remember being told beforehand
• As whole memory will be erased
• Bs memories will be transferred to A
• fear still rational
• exp.1 w/o mentioning A ? B transfer
• ? contradiction

10
Bernard Williams III

• Objections
• A fears mind-wipe, not torture
• Consequences
• If only A is transferred to body B, who is body
  B?

11
Parfits Descendant Selves

• Outcome of BST is descendant selve
• Same mental states
• But only up to the point of BST
• both selves are affected by environment
• develop into two identities
• both survive (while the single identity ceases to
  exist)

12
Will machines have Identity?

• Yes
• If seen from functionalist POV
• and mental state can be transferred
• No
• Mental states not transferrable