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    Any causal-memory criterion must distinguish genuine memo... — Carmelics
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    Supports→The memory criterion for personal identity is circular and therefore uninformative as a sufficient condition for persistence.

    Any causal-memory criterion must distinguish genuine memory from quasi-memory (Parfit's notion) by appeal to same-person causation, making the criterion ineliminably self-referential.

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    Key Terms

    Causal-memory criterion(in philosophy of personal identity)
    A theory that says you are the same person over time if your current memories were caused by your past experiences—basically, you're you because your memories genuinely come from what you actually lived through.
    Ineliminably self-referential(in philosophical criticism)
    Self-referential in a way that cannot be avoided or removed—you can't get rid of the circularity no matter how hard you try to rephrase it.
    Parfit
    Derek Parfit was a highly influential British philosopher known for revolutionizing how we think about personal identity, morality, and what makes life worth living. He argued that our sense of being a continuous, unified "self" is partly an illusion, and that what really matters is the continuation of our thoughts and experiences, not some invisible thread connecting us through time. His ideas have shaped modern ethics and how philosophers approach questions about identity, responsibility, and how we should treat future generations.
    Quasi-memory(in philosophy of personal identity)

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    A memory-like experience that feels like a real memory but wasn't actually caused by your own past experience—for example, remembering events from someone else's life as if they were yours.
    Same-person causation(in philosophy of personal identity)
    The idea that one person's past self caused changes in their current self—essentially, the causal connection that links you across time as one continuous person.
    Self-referential(as used in logic)
    When a statement refers to itself rather than to something external; like a sentence that talks about its own truth or falsehood.
    genuine memory(Personal identity theory — memory criterion)
    A memory state that accurately represents a past experience the rememberer actually had; distinguished from merely seeming to remember.

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    Personal Identity1 linked

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    The memory criterion for personal identity is circular and therefore uninformati...

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