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  1. Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech
  2. Path: sparky!uunet!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!gatech!concert!sas!mozart.unx.sas.com!sasghm
  3. From: sasghm@theseus.unx.sas.com (Gary Merrill)
  4. Subject: Re: Searle on animal consciousness
  5. Originator: sasghm@theseus.unx.sas.com
  6. Sender: news@unx.sas.com (Noter of Newsworthy Events)
  7. Message-ID: <C1J4qE.Ey9@unx.sas.com>
  8. Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 20:25:26 GMT
  9. References: <1k1mj7INN8cu@shelley.u.washington.edu> <1993Jan27.174733.3100@cs.ucf.edu> <C1J039.8A9@unx.sas.com> <1993Jan27.193658.12593@mp.cs.niu.edu>
  10. Nntp-Posting-Host: theseus.unx.sas.com
  11. Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
  12. Lines: 36
  13.  
  14.  
  15. In article <1993Jan27.193658.12593@mp.cs.niu.edu>, rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:
  16.  
  17. |> >                                      Suppose someone offered you
  18. |> >[insert absurd sum of money or some other desideratum] to be
  19. |> >tortured painfully and at length under the conditions that (a) no
  20. |> >permanent harm or disfigurement would result, and (b) that you
  21. |> >would be given a drug so that although the torture would be felt,
  22. |> >you would have no memory of it after it was over.  Would you take
  23. |> >the job?
  24. |> 
  25. |> I certainly wouldn't.
  26. |> 
  27. |> >          If not, why not?
  28. |> 
  29. |> I don't like the idea of people monkeying around with my mind, and I
  30. |> would not trust their assurances anyway.
  31. |> 
  32.  
  33. I think I generally wouldn't either.  (Circumstances could alter this,
  34. of course.  If I knew I was going to die soon and that the financial security
  35. of my family could be established in this way, I think things would be
  36. different, though that is perhaps a bit extreme.)  One thing that
  37. always bothered me about this situation is that it seemed too much
  38. like being paid for someone else to feel my pain.  Sure, *I* wouldn't
  39. remember it.  In fact *no one* would remember feeling the pain.  But
  40. certainly someone *would* feel the pain.  (Now *who* would that be?
  41. Perhaps some interesting questions of personal identity arise here.)
  42. Somehow it seemed to me that if I wouldn't take the deal in the
  43. absence of the memory suppressing drug, I shouldn't take the deal
  44. with that as part of it.  I am not sure that this is an entirely
  45. consistent position.
  46. -- 
  47. Gary H. Merrill  [Principal Systems Developer, C Compiler Development]
  48. SAS Institute Inc. / SAS Campus Dr. / Cary, NC  27513 / (919) 677-8000
  49. sasghm@theseus.unx.sas.com ... !mcnc!sas!sasghm
  50.