Distributed cognition is a really powerful idea that breaks a lot of our assumptions about individuality and agency. When applied to something like AI, I think

Distributed cognition is a really powerful idea that breaks a lot of our assumptions about individuality and agency. When applied to something like AI, I think it promotes much better thinking about how to get productive work done -- since it isn't so much about the algorithm as the system as a whole. I recommend Ed Hutchins book "Cognition in the Wild" or Don Norman's "the design of everyday things" Other related ideas are "the extended mind" and "actor-network theory". It is hard not to come to the conclusion that personal identity is useful for drivers licenses but ultimately a very elaborate social illusion/myth. I really like the implications for reincarnation, though!