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I think that consciousness (or rather the feeling of consciousness) is very related to continuous long-term memory storing. When you're blackout drunk, or unde

I think that consciousness (or rather the feeling of consciousness) is very related to continuous long-term memory storing. When you're blackout drunk, or under anesthesia, your brain can still infer connections between sequential stimuli (e.g. you can understand words), but none of those memories stay in your brain long-term. I'd say that we were actually conscious during that period, but in the present moment we have no recollection because our memory (for some chemical reason related to alcohol/anesthesia) wasn't stored properly for long-term use. I imagine the same would happen if we somehow managed to "remove" memories from our minds. After the removal, our current self would not have any recollection of those memories removed - as if we weren't conscious during that period whatsoever. In conclusion: the feeling of consciousness is deeply related to continuous storage of our life-long memories.

ehecatl42 4y ago
> I think that consciousness (or rather the feeling of consciousness) is very related to continuous long-term memory storing. Are you my surgeon? About six years ago I was to undergo somewhat novel surgery and the chappie asked if he could record the procedure, it being a research hospital and all). "Sure," I said, "if you can assure me I will feel no pain." He said that he could not promise that, but they he could assure me I would not remember it even if it did. And that's the alpha and the omega of my philosophizing. If I can't remember it happening, did it even? How does this map to criminal justice?
- a9h74j 4y ago
  In the 1980s a philosopher named Stanly Cavell was asking whether surgeons could intentionally operate on people without pain-suppressing anethesia, provided the patient would remember nothing of it. Chapter-length discussions IIRC. My simple reaction was always this: Yes it would affect the humanity of the surgeons themselves to do so. I wouldn't be surprised if there is also a below-conscious-memory level of trauma memory as well, so superficial amnesia might not be enough for the patient to be "unaffected".
voxl 4y ago
I think you're right on the money, continuous storage of long term memory + cognitive feedback of those memories _is_ consciousness in my book. We already know that decisions can happen before your conscious mind is aware, that's because consciousness isn't about this moment, it's about past moments, it's a feedback loop.

ehecatl42 4y ago

> I think that consciousness (or rather the feeling of consciousness) is very related to continuous long-term memory storing. Are you my surgeon? About six years ago I was to undergo somewhat novel surgery and the chappie asked if he could record the procedure, it being a research hospital and all). "Sure," I said, "if you can assure me I will feel no pain." He said that he could not promise that, but they he could assure me I would not remember it even if it did. And that's the alpha and the omega of my philosophizing. If I can't remember it happening, did it even? How does this map to criminal justice?

a9h74j 4y ago
In the 1980s a philosopher named Stanly Cavell was asking whether surgeons could intentionally operate on people without pain-suppressing anethesia, provided the patient would remember nothing of it. Chapter-length discussions IIRC. My simple reaction was always this: Yes it would affect the humanity of the surgeons themselves to do so. I wouldn't be surprised if there is also a below-conscious-memory level of trauma memory as well, so superficial amnesia might not be enough for the patient to be "unaffected".

voxl 4y ago

I think you're right on the money, continuous storage of long term memory + cognitive feedback of those memories _is_ consciousness in my book. We already know that decisions can happen before your conscious mind is aware, that's because consciousness isn't about this moment, it's about past moments, it's a feedback loop.