Is a person who suffered severe amnesia still the same person as was before?

Obviously there are many sorts of psychological changes of the same person, but is this true for any sort of psychological change (as the second way of describing the case claims)? Is a person who has suffered severe and irreversible amnesia still identical to the person who existed before this happens? Is a person who after amnesia has new experiences and forms totally new character traits still identical with the earlier person? Or is there some degree or kind of change that rules out continuing identity? What is the bearing of such changes on the issues of moral responsibility and the justification for reward and punishment?Is a person who suffered severe amnesia still the same person as was before?
hmmm...it's difficult to say. I guess in terms of remembering events, they may not be the same person, however I think that no matter what, even if he/she doesn't remember you, they 're taste in music,food or fun does not change. Maybe they forget they ever ate taffy, eventhough before they said it was their favourite food, if they tasted taffy again, maybe they will say "Wow I think this will be my favourite food" so I think deep inside they won't change.Is a person who suffered severe amnesia still the same person as was before?
No, and no she is not morally responsible for what she cannot remember. However, she should still be held legally responsible, especially if she is still dangerous.



Added April 12: Reward and punishment is up to G-d. Society's only concern is with protecting its citizens. A person who has no memory of a past crime should not be punished, but society should still keep her from hurting anyone else, even if that means restricting her freedom.



The movie Dark City addresses the issue of the role of memory in moral responsibility. No one should be held responsible for remembering a crime they did not actually commit, but on the deeper question of how integral are our memories to our identity, that movie reaches a very different conclusion from the one I draw.



To me, our memories contain our views on who we are, and if those are changed drastically, we're not the same anymore. Even without drastic changes, we change over time. The idea of a single identity across our lives from birth to death is something of an illusion. I have different concerns now than I did when I was 5. In a way, 5 year old me doesn't exist anymore, at least not in 2010. Maybe young children know something when they don't want to be patient. Maybe they know their existence into the future is a false belief, that our future selves simply have memories of our previous selves without actually being identical with our previous selves. As long as you do not get too attached to your own identity, it is not something to get worked up about.