3 ms·
A Possible Evolutionary Reason for Why We Seem to Have Continuity of Consciousness and Personality. Thesis : The very thing (a brain module) which allows for o
by passion__desire 3y ago
A Possible Evolutionary Reason for Why We Seem to Have Continuity of Consciousness
and Personality.
Thesis : The very thing (a brain module) which allows for outside object continuity, that same brain module maintains inside self / personality / identity continuity.
Reasoning :
Evolution found out modelling the outside world is helpful for survival.
Some eons later, it figured out modelling yourself (self / agent) modelling the outside world is also helpful.
In the outside world, we keep track of continuity of objects through a brain module which hones in on the essence of objects
(e.g. tracking a prey or predator.)
so that EXACT matching algorithms aren't applied but ONLY approximate ones.
As soon as a high enough approximate match (>95%) is found,
we "register" it to be an exact match. i.e. the Brain bumps up the confidence level to 100%.
This is also the reason why we consider our friend Bob to be the same childhood Bob even though he has different hairstyle, clothes,
and other such properties. We don't call Bob who looks different than yesterday as an Imposter.
The damage to this brain module could lead us to call Bob today an imposter.
This same module also tracks continuity of self in a similar manner. Even though our "self" changes from childhood to adult
we "register" "changing self" to be the same thing.
i.e. internally we bump up the confidence to 100% when memories, etc. match and provide a coherent picture of the self.
A multiple personality disorder is just different stable states of neural attractor states.
Continuity is local to a personality but not global and hence transient.
This local continuity of information could link up globally, giving rise to coherent single personality.
Capgras Syndrome :
Ramachandran Capgras Delusion Case : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xczrDAGfT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xczrDAGfT4