Okay, this is getting into some philisophical BS, but bear with me, my thoughts may be sloppy but it occurred to me in the car ride home. This might turn out to be interesting, who knows.
I would assume many atheists here do not believe in a soul, therefore no dualistic brain. Essentially, everything that makes us us, our thoughts, personality, wants, desires, etc... It all exists in the brain. Expanding on that, we believe when we die that nothing happens. We're dead...it's just like it was before we were born, a whole lot of nothing.
Considering this, say if you were to have a bad accident and you lost all your memories and you personality changes from severe brain trauma, does that mean you, essentially the person you are now, is as good as dead? I mean your body is alive, genetically you're exactly the same, it's just your personality is different and memories are gone. Is the "old" you the equivalent of dead?
Obviously the scenario has the big if of whether or not you can regain your memories and personality after therapy, so for the sake of argument, let's say it's permanent. What's your answer?
I think I currently take the stance that what makes me me is dead, and essentially I have died even if my body still remains. My body may be still alive, but my sense of self is dead.
Thoughts?
I would assume many atheists here do not believe in a soul, therefore no dualistic brain. Essentially, everything that makes us us, our thoughts, personality, wants, desires, etc... It all exists in the brain. Expanding on that, we believe when we die that nothing happens. We're dead...it's just like it was before we were born, a whole lot of nothing.
Considering this, say if you were to have a bad accident and you lost all your memories and you personality changes from severe brain trauma, does that mean you, essentially the person you are now, is as good as dead? I mean your body is alive, genetically you're exactly the same, it's just your personality is different and memories are gone. Is the "old" you the equivalent of dead?
Obviously the scenario has the big if of whether or not you can regain your memories and personality after therapy, so for the sake of argument, let's say it's permanent. What's your answer?
I think I currently take the stance that what makes me me is dead, and essentially I have died even if my body still remains. My body may be still alive, but my sense of self is dead.
Thoughts?
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." Benjamin Franklin
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