It’s a really interesting philosophical question, whether an individual’s personality is the product of their genetic composition or if they are the result of the aggregation of their episodic memories. I just saw the movie Unknown White Male, the story about a man, Doug Bruce, who woke up on Coney Island with no memory of who he was or where he came from.
What would it be like to have your entire past completely erased? How fascinating, but at the same time terrifying. I can’t even imagine looking at old photos and home movies of me, feeling like they were completely foreign to me. Or even more frightening, not know who my friends and loved ones were. On the upside, imagine rediscovering everything in the world with the eyes of a child, but the maturity of an adult. Everything would be new and absolutely fascinating.
I have heard claims that the story of Doug Bruce is a sham, but nevertheless it poses a really interesting question: are we pre-programmed to have a certain personality, or are we the sum of a mix of life experiences?