Knowing one's traits without personal memories

What seems clear is that H.M. did retain some sense of self. This is certainly the view Philip J. Hilts formed, having spent a long time with H.M. while writing his book Memory’s Ghost. This residual sense of self was a ‘sharply realistic’ idea of the kind of person H.M. was. ‘The memory of our own traits does not depend on our collection of personal memories,’ writes Hilts. ‘They inhabit separate provinces. We do not arrive at summaries about ourselves by concluding from instances.’

Saved 23 April 2015

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