Cookie Thread Act 3: The Cookie Strikes Back

General
#18881

Congratulations! You have survived!

You chose:
Round 1: I’ll take a chance with the spacecraft
Round 2: I’ll take the silicon, thanks
Round 3: Let my body die

However, although you have survived, at least one of your choices seems a little problematic.

There are basically three kinds of things that could be required for the continued existence of your self. One is bodily continuity, which may actually require only that parts of the body stay in existence (i.e., the brain). Another is psychological continuity, which requires the continuance of your consciousness - by which is meant your thoughts, ideas, memories, plans, beliefs, and so on. The third possibility is the continued existence of some kind of immaterial part of you, which might be called the soul. Of course, it may be the case that a combination of one or more types of these continuity is required for you to survive.

Your choices are just about consistent with the view that the continuity of the soul is essential for personal survival. Your first choice showed a desire to keep your physical body alive. Your second choice, in contrast, showed a willingness to have your body replaced by synthetic parts to preserve your psychological continuity. Your last choice showed a willingness to jettison your physical body and end psychological continuity in order to save your soul.

There is something troubling about these choices. First, the tracking of the soul seems a bit erratic. In the first choice, it followed the physical body, but on the second it followed psychological continuity. So it seems there is no reliable way of deciding where the soul goes - does it follow the body or psychological continuity? Secondly, the soul seems rather an empty self. It is a self that needs no thoughts, beliefs or memories to exist. It is rather a kind of immaterial home for thoughts, emotions, beliefs and so on. Do you really think the self is such a thing?

Note: The chart above shows the percentage of people who have surivived and died playing this game.

#18882

bodily continuity is absolutely not the only way to approach the silicon thing

1 Like
#18883

WE SURVIVED IF ARETE DIDN’T CHOOSE

3 Likes
#18884

THIS FUCKER QUESTIONING HOW THE SOUL WORKS WHEN IT’S SOMETHING THEY FUCKING MADE UP

2 Likes
#18885

Meow

1 Like
#18886

PHILIO BABY

#18887

Do you have bodily continuity if you’re turned into a cat

1 Like
#18888

like there is the question of whether the silicon would actually support consciousness?? which is not addressed apparently

1 Like
#18889

Nya

1 Like
#18890

i was always a cat

#18891

god i hate philosophy sometimes

#18892

I have a bunch of catlike mannerisms from warrior cats roleplay in third grade

1 Like
#18893

please mark nsfw comments in a marked drop-down

1 Like
#18894

there;s probably more inteersting quizes
but those were the ones required to answer for discussion questions so far

#18895

at least that quiz was singer free. i should take what i can get

1 Like
#18896

why were you required to answer these :joy_cat:
are you a philo major

1 Like
#18897

Like it infuriates me because he would be so badass if he actually won but he doesn’t so he’s just a suave-voiced fool

1 Like
#18898

hey ben…

#18899

The Drowning Child

This activity looks at some of the issues raised by two articles written by philosopher Peter Singer: the first, the seminal, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”; the second, a somewhat shorter article called, “The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle” (it’s probably best if you read these articles after, rather than before, you undertake this activity).

It is necessary to make a couple of things clear before we get going. The first is that if you’re a moral nihilist - i.e., if you think there’s no such thing as right and wrong - then this activity probably isn’t for you. (Try out one of our logic exercises instead, such as Elementary, My Dear Wason?).

The second has to do with the nature of the scenarios you’re going to be asked about. These are variations on a single baseline scenario (which was first introduced by Professor Singer). The important point is that you should treat each variation on its own terms. In particular, the changes introduced in a particular variation don’t carry over to the next variation - all variations are a modification of the original baseline scenario.

Okay, that’s it really. You’re ready to go.

#18900

do we wanna do this quiz to annoy ben