IUBio

thought on I & me

Ivo Kwee kwee at medphys.ucl.ac.uk
Tue Jan 26 08:08:51 EST 1999


I am posting this in the newsgroup to invite comments:


Paul Walker wrote:
> 
> Folks,
> 
> Since you're thinking at least from time to time about the experience of
> skills development, I thought I might send you the following piece.
> 
> Interested to hear from you (really...)
> 
> Best,
> 
> P.
> 
>         Between Ourselves
>         -----------------
> 
> I made Me in his own image
> as best he could, with hands
> that work behind his eyes
> and no mirror of his own to guide;
> Just sometimes laughter of passers by
> and the strange textures only he can feel.
> 
> I, tired in this strange existence, sleeps awhile.
> Me wakes, thinks he must be I, turns
> and takes the reins (of _my_ life, for godsake).
> I, shimmering uncertainty, begins to feel
> somewhat out of place, and slips away;
> is hardly ever seen again.
> 
> In this way we become shadows of our former selves
> We comb the world for clues to find out who we are
> When all the while we could just be who we can be...
> 

Where did the quote come from? This seems a lot in common of a book I
read from Daniel Dennet "Consciousness explained" (very good book).
Dennet is a philosopher and in his book he tries to explain what
consciousness is by drawing examples from the analogy with computer
hardware and software. 

Your poem is describing that "I" lives today, and that "me" is the one
who lives tomorrow (in the same body!). When you sleep "I" will disapper
and the next day "me" is the new "I" who takes over. Shortly, the poem
says that every day you are a different person (in mind!).

Dennet explains this like this. The brain is like a large computer, your
mind (or consciousness, or "I" and "me") is software that resides in the
brain. Now, unlike computer that cannot adapt their hardware, the brain
can adapt each strength of the neurons and (indirectly) connections
between neurons. Your software (your mind) is coded up by a set of
zillions of interconnected neurons with different strengths: this is a
neural network!. Then your program (your mind) is very dependent on the
physical state of this network.

Dennet continues with arguing that the mind (your "I") is an (you may
debate whether useful or not) artifact of the working brain. As soon as
you wake up your brain is switched on (like you switch on your PC) and
your software (your "I") is running. Your "I" see through your eyes that
your limbs are moving and "thinks" that "I" am awake. While you are
awake and doing things "I" will learn new things and therefore
physically change the neural network in your brain.

Dennet says, every day you are a new "I" (the mind); the mind is just an
artifact of your working brain. Because each day your mind ("I" or "me")
is drawing upon the same brain of the one yesterday; so you think that
you are the same "I" every day. The nice thing about learning is that
each "I" will enrich the brain with its experiences and record it by
modifying neuronal connectivity. 

Now you can argue whether "I" actually means your "body" or your "mind".
But the word "I" is just made up by humans, so it is no use to argue.


Ivo
-- 
Ivo Kwee,
Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering,
University College London.

Office: 0171 - 209 6415		Fax:    0171 - 209 6269
Home:   0171 - 794 5243		E-mail: kwee at medphys.ucl.ac.uk




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