^
The room was quiet for a moment, and then suddenly there was a buzz of discussion.
"Have you watched too much TV?"
"How dare you talk about the pseudoscience of memory alteration here?"
"Where did this guy come from?"
"I don't know him, and he even has a child with him. What does he think this is?"
…
The blue-haired old man at the front desk glanced at the assistant sitting at the door. The young blue-haired woman immediately stood up and said solemnly, "Quiet! Quiet! "
She seemed to have a special power. The young people who were still talking just now suddenly quieted down.
The blue-haired old man coughed, looked at the 'young man', and still said slowly, "Your question is very good. Before I answer your question, let me tell you about a thought experiment that I mentioned in a paper when I was young."
As he said that, he searched for a while on the side of the screen, found an article, and projected it behind him.
While flipping through the article, he continued to say:
"As I said just now, when memories from external stimuli gradually increase and form, self-consciousness will gradually appear, and then continue to determine one's self. This is the current mainstream concept of our biology, but few people realize that there is a problem that cannot be avoided — —
Does self-consciousness originally exist, and only gradually appear under the formation of memories from external stimuli, or does it originally not exist, but is caused by these external stimuli?
This is a ghostly question. Many famous biology scientists, like me, have been puzzled, and even asked for help from the Chief Deacon of the Great Temple. "
The voice of the blue-haired old man seemed to have a special magic, echoing back and forth in the spacious room. More than a hundred young people followed this voice and quietly thought.
"To prove such a problem, it doesn't seem difficult. You just need to put a person, such as any of you, back into the mother's womb, and then after birth, be adopted by another pair of parents, in another external environment, start a completely different life from the one you have now."
The blue-haired old man paused, glanced at the 'young man', and said: "At this time, like the question asked by this young man, are you still you?"
There was a sudden burst of discussion in the seats below the stage. Some said no, the experience and memory were completely different, how could it be the same person? Some people said that they were originally the same person, but they grew up in two different environments. Could it be that they were two different people?
If that was the case, if they hadn't entered St. Prentice University a few years ago, and had entered another university, or even stopped going to school altogether, would they have been able to change into someone else due to the different environments and memories they had in the past few years?
Moreover, if the conditions of the two families were similar, then no matter which family the person was from, the person's body, appearance, and even voice would be the same. They were basically the same person.
But immediately, there were people who objected that it was because of the concept of time. A few years ago, their self-awareness had been repeatedly determined and formed. After that, no matter how they changed their environment, no matter what kind of experience they chose, they were still themselves that had already taken shape.
Those who held the opposite view were not to be outdone and asked, "How long did it take to form?" Three years old? Or ten years old? The maturity period of each creature was different. There was a clear difference between a blue-haired person and a black-haired person. If there was no definite quantifiable number, then it wouldn't be convincing.
The two sides were in a stalemate, and the blue-haired woman at the door had to shout again, "Silence!"
The blue-haired elder seemed very satisfied that his students could have different opinions. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, a dispute represented the existence of some kind of vitality.
After the room quietened down, he smiled and said,
"What is science? To put it simply, the same phenomenon can appear repeatedly under certain conditions, and then be summed up to form a law. You can then publish it, and others can also use your law to conduct experiments that can observe the phenomenon.
Therefore, if one day, one of you really sees a ghost from a horror movie in the innermost compartment of the toilet, don't be afraid. On the contrary, you should be very excited, because I have to congratulate you. Your experience will become the greatest discovery of this era! "
The audience immediately roared with laughter. After the blue-haired elder used a joke to ease the intense atmosphere of the debate, he slowly continued in a humorous manner, "I've heard everyone's thoughts just now.
"I've heard everyone's thoughts just now. Some people think that the same body is the same person, while others think that completely different experiences and memories are two different people. The reason why everyone has two different opinions is because this is a failed thought experiment.
No one can really stuff someone back into their stomach. No matter how advanced technology is, it can't reverse time. And even if someone starts a new life, they can't compare to their previous self because the original self has already disappeared in space-time. "
"Therefore, it's a failed thought experiment. Its premise is wrong and unscientific, so it's inevitable that it won't obtain the correct result."
"And a good thought experiment not only needs the premise to be correct, but it also needs to abandon the complicated branches and leaves and directly attack the essence and core of the problem. It shouldn't be a smoke filled with speculation and complexity. Therefore, I later designed another thought experiment."
At this point, the blue-haired elder had already regained his seriousness. He pointed to a paragraph with a large number of pictures projected behind him and slowly said,
"In this experiment, I designed two existing 'rooms.' Everything inside is identical, from the color to the size. There's no difference, thus forming a completely identical external environment.
Then, in each 'room', two newborns with identical physical characteristics, twins, cell replicas … Whatever they are, we just have to assume that these two people are identical in terms of biological form, not even one cell more or one cell less.
It is foreseeable that technology that is more advanced than ours will be able to achieve this.
Next, in these two 'rooms,' we give the two people the exact same life, the same environment, the same process, and all the information from the outside world is identical. Even the arrangement of time is identical.
Then, let me ask again. These two people with identical bodies and the same world and memories, will they have the same consciousness? "
Without waiting for the audience to discuss, the blue-haired elder quickly asked, "If there is, how can it exist in two independent bodies? If there isn't, how can two people with identical bodies and memories be different people? "
After the blue-haired elder finished speaking, the audience was very quiet. They no longer argued with each other like before. Instead, they seemed to have fallen into some kind of thought.
After a while, after giving them a certain amount of time to think, the blue-haired elder continued, "Just like all of you, it had troubled me for a long time, because no matter what, that result was always contradictory, unable to be self-consistent. In the end, it made me realize what I said before, the problem hidden in our mainstream biological biology's concept.
Unfortunately, with our technological capabilities, we are unable to realize this thought experiment. However, I believe that in the universe, there might be lifeforms that are a thousand years, ten thousand years, or even more advanced than us. They have the ability to carry out this experiment and even go a step further. Not only do they target a single experimental body, but they also conduct large-scale experiments to obtain large amounts of experimental data.
Why do I say this? Because I believe that this is one of the ultimate meanings that all life pursues.
For example, it can extend a small branch — immortality.
In our ancient history, countless monarchs have tried to find such a power, but in the end, they could only entrust it to the Temple. However, the branch that it extends can solve this problem.
If self-consciousness is born from the memory of external stimuli, then we can transfer all the memories to a spare life before we die, get a new life, and live forever.
If self-consciousness is born from the moment life appears, then we may still have to follow the old path and practice the ancient legends. Of course, it is in a scientific way. After all, now we know the zero-dimensional space of memory mapping, there may be more secrets that we need to discover.
So I believe that those lifeforms that can make this thought experiment should have obtained the way to live forever. They can even transfer their consciousness to different organisms. "
The blue-haired elder paused for a moment, then looked at the "young man" who seemed to be frowning and thinking, and said, "Therefore, I can only answer your question just now. If self-consciousness originally exists, then even if your memory is modified, as long as you reach a certain level like the legend, then you must still be yourself. Otherwise, you may lose yourself. If self-consciousness is born from the memory and experience of external stimuli, then it is very likely that you will become another person.
I can't give you a definite answer, but I can tell you one thing, no one can change your memory.
According to existing research, a slight change in the brain will cause an unpredictable chain reaction, and a normal person will be destroyed into an idiot.
I know the movie story you mentioned. Although it does not conform to our biology, it is right about one thing. If you want to make such a memory change, you really need the help of the Supreme God. "
…
It was already very late when he left the spacious room. As the cold wind blew, the "young man" realized that he had forgotten his business. Fortunately, the surroundings were very calm, and there was no chaos caused by the appearance of the sex demons.
He didn't know why he asked this question, and why he was interested in this question. He just felt that he had to figure this out, otherwise, he would rather not remember where his home was!
Ma Yingxiu had already woken up. Since they couldn't find Ran Ran, the two could only prepare to go back the way they came.
They still had to start work tomorrow!
At this time, among the crowd that followed him out of the spacious room, someone received a call and said in surprise, "Near St. Proteus? The sex demons attacked a car? Okay, okay, I'll leave right away. "
The "young man" was shocked, and so was Ma Yingxiu. Although it might not be the four-wheeled vehicle that was attacked, because he saw a row of soldiers on his way here, he felt that he should go and take a look no matter what.
^ (To be continued.)
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