I've raised the case of Phineas Gage on here a few times as regards the idea of identity, below is a short essay on the case with added Star Trek.
https://aeon.co/essays/how-a-change-for-the-worse-makes-for-a-different-person
is that a short essay?
anyway , I too was judged by some to be a different person after a major trauma but I couldn't see it .
After many conversations over a period of years i came to the conclusion that I was a 'better person than before' because I could evaluate situations quickly and usually to my advantage. Some said I did this at the detriment of others but for me the choices I made were the obvious ones .
And I also took into consideration the fact that I was a young man at the time of the trauma and the changes in me could be attributed to the fact I simply matured , although very quickly.
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