The Half Life Of Memory

Radioactive atoms have a half life; that’s the time it takes for 50% of the elements to decompose.

I often talk about the half-life of personal identity: how long does it take before you only feel 50% connected to the person you used to be?

I'm not sure if the thing I'm "really" talking about is the half life of memory, the half life of personal identity, or something slightly different. Maybe there's a parallel to Derek Parfit's arguments in Reasons and Persons, and there's various braided strands of continuities that together add up to something that matters to us.

Regardless, when I bring this up at parties I get (or at least think I get) a pretty immediate sense of recognition, and people generally having a sense of how long their personal half-life is. Which makes me think it's tapping into something.

---

How long is the half-life of your personal identity? Let us know in the comments....