Kevin Simler

@notabraininavat what's an example of essentialist thinking?

@KevinSimler Many seem to think there are some necess & sufficient conditions which will make them 'the same person' in some profound sense.

@KevinSimler Seems to me if you fully embrace a reductionist view of personal identity, cryonics ceases to be anywhere near as important.

@notabraininavat what's a reductionist view of personal identity? (I'm not familiar with the standard LW positions here.)

@KevinSimler Ah, so basically there's nothing over & above some sort of mental connections & continuity that makes you the same person.

@KevinSimler But we seem to change these traits oft over the course a normal life, so biological death shouldn't be this extra scary event.

@notabraininavat ah, makes sense. maybe they take fear of death as a hard constraint on an identity function

@notabraininavat an identity function that fails to produce a fear of death doesn't seem to be doing its primary job