# Can you convince yourself that you are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904 "2023-09-10T23:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/1 "2023-09-10T23:56:15Z")
You have acquired a device that allows you to send one short (1000 character) text message into the past. You are going to use it to send a message to yourself ten years ago. For reasons I needn’t get into, it is vitally important that past-you believes that the message comes from present-you, and not from any third party (actually, second party I guess). However, a nefarious and vastly powerful organization is also planning to send a fake message to past-you, pretending that it comes from present-you. You know this and past-you also knows this. This organization has nearly unlimited resources. They have access to all records of your life: school records, everything that your employer and all past employers know about you, all your financial activity, etc. They have access to all of your online activity (browser history, all email that you’ve ever sent or received, all your passwords, etc.) They may have planted audio and video surveillance devices in your home, and in all homes you’ve ever lived in, and every place you’ve ever worked. They may have had spies following you and observing your activities for many years. They may have offered very large bribes to any or all of your family, friends and acquaintances to get them to divulge everything they know about you. However they cannot read your mind or do anything else that is impossible with current technology, other than send one message into the past. You can use all 1000 characters to write something that only you could possibly know, or in other some way convince past-you that the message comes from you and no one else. Can you do it? ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/2 "2023-09-11T00:04:48Z")
I could. I had a romance with a woman I worked with in the early 1990s. She wanted to keep things secret and we never told anyone. I nave never mentioned anything about her to my family or friends. I could reference some specific things about the relationship only I would know. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/3 "2023-09-11T00:07:17Z")
But wouldn’t your partner know those things too? You have to assume she would divulge them for the ten billion dollars that the organization offers her. And even if she didn’t (or she’s dead), the organization would surely have found out about this relationship through their spies and surveillance devices. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/4 "2023-09-11T00:10:43Z")
Easy. I have physical scars. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/5 "2023-09-11T00:13:07Z")
The organization would have seen those scars via the surveillance devices in your bathroom and can describe them perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/6 "2023-09-11T00:19:27Z")
Yes. There are thoughts I have had that I remember even from childhood that were not shared with anyone else thoughts. Not necessarily even embarrassing ones, just never shared ones. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/7 "2023-09-11T00:20:18Z")
I can definitely do it. I arranged a code with myself over two decades ago, for just such a situation. And no, I’m not going to share anything about what that code is. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/8 "2023-09-11T00:22:23Z")
My very first memory is only known to me. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/9 "2023-09-11T00:22:51Z")
I probably could, but it would depend on how the messages arrive. Simultaneously? Then yes, I would know which one was from the real me. But if the fake one arrived first, I’d probably have believed that one, and I’d ignore the second message. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/10 "2023-09-11T00:23:00Z")
I’m sure there are no records of the times (1976-78) I ran in high school track/cross-country. Further confirmation would be what I did with my varsity letter. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/11 "2023-09-11T00:24:03Z")
At first I thought, if they have my browser history, I’m screwed. My whole life is there. Then I realized, the nefarious organization would know about all the events in my life, but not how I felt about them. So I would comment on those and we’d probably be okay. There are things that were very minor events that I still obsess over for some reason, and I would just talk about those things. I could also talk about past writing I never shared with anyone, that has since been destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/12 "2023-09-11T00:24:15Z")
Sure, there are memories that I’ve had that nobody else would know of. I even clearly remember some dreams I had while sleeping 20 and 23 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/13 "2023-09-11T00:27:06Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I’m sure there are no records of the times (1976-78) I ran in high school track/cross-country. Further confirmation would be what I did with my varsity letter. The organization’s spies certainly watched your track meets. And they saw what you did with your varsity letter. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I could also talk about past writing I never shared with anyone, that has since been destroyed. They watched you write it, even if you destroyed it later. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My very first memory is only known to me. As long as you’re sure you’ve never mentioned it to anyone, that might work. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/14 "2023-09-11T00:28:59Z")
I could do that easily. Plenty of stuff I was involved in that I never discussed with anyone. Generally matters of patient confidentiality. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/15 "2023-09-11T00:29:20Z")
I recall my first vivid dream from when I was about 3 years old. If I were to reference that in detail I would likely be doing whatever the text asked me to do. I have never mentioned details of it to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/16 "2023-09-11T00:29:38Z")
But your patients would know these things, right? The organization would get the information from them. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/17 "2023-09-11T00:30:44Z")
Nope, a lot of those patients have died. Besides, I’ve got other stuff like specific dreams, thoughts thunk at a particular place and time, and more. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/18 "2023-09-11T00:30:54Z")
I have a few things that I can use. One is a particular “code” of sorts. It’s a letter followed by 5 numbers. It has a particular meaning to me, but not to anyone else. I’m not going to say what it is or what it means, but I will say that I had a fairly vivid imagination when I was a kid. Another is a particular house that I have dreamed about many times. It’s always the same house. It has no relationship to any real house that I can figure out. In my dreams, it’s a house that I bought to fix up and live in. I have mentioned this to my wife, and I think I even mentioned it in a post on here before. But I have never really given out a lot of details about it. The details are weirdly consistent from one dream to the next. All I need to do is describe a particular detail about it (of which I have many) and I’ll know that it came from my brain. Some day I’m going to sit down with a 3d modeling program and create a model of this house. Until then, all of the details only exist in my imagination. The third thing that I could use is the oldest dream that I can remember. I was 4 years old when I dreamed it. It was a very odd and very specific dream for a 4 year-old to have. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/19 "2023-09-11T00:32:29Z")
Well then, the organization would get the information from the surveillance cameras in your office. I can’t see how anything that happens in the physical world would qualify. I think it’s got to be something that happened only in your mind, that you definitely never told anyone else about. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904/20 "2023-09-11T00:33:49Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > You can use all 1000 characters to write something that only you could possibly know, or in other some way convince past-you that the message comes from you and no one else. Can you do it? Aside from secret only-in-my-head information (which I do have, so that’s easy), I think I could do it just by sending some stupid inside joke. Past me, having to pick between a well-researched and carefully constructed lie and some idiot piece of garbage that I thought was funny when I was a teenager would absolutely pick the joke. The thing is, I like, get me. You know? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-convince-yourself-that-you-are-you/989904.md?page=2)