Philosophy Cafe Podcast. What am I?
Lecturer Dr Conor McHugh challenged the audience at the University of Southampton Philosophy Cafe to consider what makes a person.
He asked them to ponder what would happen if scientists swapped individual’s brains from one person to another:
“Which, if either, of the resulting people is you? What if the scientists erase all of my memories and scan them into your brain? In that case, it will seem to you that it was you who, for example, wrote these words. Is this impression illusory?”
Conor’s lively session, encouraging people to think about such questions, was aimed at helping us to get clearer on personal identity and on our concern for our own futures.
To listen to Conor's arguements, click on the link to the right of this page.
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Dr Conor McHugh
Dr Conor McHugh is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton.
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