Table of ContentsIntroductionBrain in a VatBrain/Body DislocationNew Body Old BrainComputer Brain ConstructedDivergence of SelfsIntroductionWhat I want to do here is simply detail the points Dennett makes, then briefly describe each. This reading ventures into many areas concerning the idea of ​​self. A discussion about this usually gives good clarity in class, but it is a little trickier in written lecture form. I'll try to keep it simple. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe Brain in a Vat – Where Am I – Brain vs. Body Transplantation – Interdependence of the Brain/Body Relationship – The Body as perceptual device (window to the world) - Brain versus mind distinction - Point of view At first, Dennett only sets the stage. He is asked to perform this incredible scientific feat and, as a scholar, he cannot say no. By undergoing the surgery and being in the unique position of looking at his own brain, it leads him to ask some fundamental questions. What is most important to a person's identity and why? Is it the body or the brain? We are so physically oriented in the world, so much so for many of us, that we automatically associate physical identifiers with indicators of the self. But we are smart enough to know that our brains house our thoughts and consciousness, and this appears to be crucial in determining, or even having the ability to determine, the location of the self. Some of us find that the self may be found in ethereal space. that connects the body and the brain…or do we mean mind? What is the difference between the two? Are they the same, can a mind be dissected like a brain, and if so, why say mind, and not brain? What else are we referring to when we talk about mind, and where is it located? Is it taking up space in the world? Finally, he addresses another option, that of experience, of the way we perceive the world, from our point of view. Maybe the self is not a tangible thing, maybe it is a phenomenon, and would that make it less real? Brain/body dislocation - Signal shift - Immediate shift of consciousness - Loss of body - Maintenance of experience He continues his mission, and he encounters problems along the way. He first notices the time lag, as he gets further away from the physical location of his brain. This would make sense and perhaps begin to suggest a physical dimension to the idea of ​​self. But when the body stops, its consciousness immediately returns to the location of the brain, seeming to defy physical parameters. So the idea, briefly, of a soul is implied, something non-physical about who we are that doesn't require a body. And for a time, Dennett is left in a dreamlike state of consciousness, without a body and with "primary" experiences such as music, without the typical hearing aid, directly linked to that part of the brain. It would seem at this point that the body may be superfluous to the reality of the self. New body, old brain - Similarity of physicality - Shipbuilder analogy - What must remain for the "I" to remain - Is this a new person - The role of memory in identity (and its implications) He gets a new body, which resembles the old one, for practical purposes, to lessen the shock no doubt. We might find this far-fetched, but remember that the story is not real nor is it trying to arguein favor of a realistic representation. It's science fiction; only asking what if? Certainly what is suggested is not impossible, just beyond our current capabilities. We transmit information signals through space, we transplant organs daily; what about this, it's totally impossible? But that's not the question. Philosophy is about questions, so let's ask. People have accidents, illnesses that change them radically, beyond physical recognition, how is this different from the change in resemblance Dennett now has with this new body? What if they told him it's his body, it was salvaged and badly damaged, and thanks to some major plastic surgery, they were able to save him and restore some of his original likeness along the way. How would Dennett know otherwise? What comes to mind is the so-called “shipbuilder analogy.” I'm going to bring it into modern times and talk about a car rather than a ship. If you have owned a car for many years, you replace a lot of parts, and it is conceivable that at some point, if you have owned the car long enough, you may have changed all the parts, is it the same car ? And if not, at what point did it stop being the same car you bought 20 years ago? Now let's apply this logic to our bodies: at what point, given all the physical changes we experience, as far as we know, our cells are all different now than they were when we were born, what what exactly maintains our identity? Is it consciousness, memories, mind, soul, what if something remains the constant among all the variables of our existence? Computer brain constructed - Are there two Dennetts - Ethical responsibility - How is this does it affect personality (identity)- Materialism vs. Dualism- What should be done (another self on the planet) He finds out they had a backup plan for Dennett in case the mission failed. They had made an exact replica of his brain. It was so precise that when he flipped the switch between the brains, he could feel absolutely no change in his self-awareness. Had they succeeded in constructing a conscious self? This is how it appeared. If this were indeed true, what does this imply about individuality...that it is a physical construct and, like all such things, can be reduced to an equation; the self can be a quantifiable entity. At this point Dennett doesn't know how to proceed, he doesn't need the backup brain, but since he can't discern between the two he feels like turning it off is like killing a person . , himself! So he considers some options, that if they were separated, they would both feel a legitimate claim to each other's lives, careers, families, and yet they can't both have those things . Eventually, he decides to keep both brains connected to the same body, since he can't distinguish between the two anyway. And then he removes the labels so that when he switches from one to the other, he doesn't know who is really in charge, and he doesn't give preference to one over the other. He believes this resolves everything he had to endure in a fair and humane way. a conference room somewhere, after telling his incredible story and bringing the crowd into the current state he is in. He holds up the switch he spoke about and flips the switch to demonstrate to the crowd that there is no distinction between the two selves taking turns to be at the.