[NoLongerActive]

I think one of the key parts to a real AI is self-awareness. And one way to study the whole concept of self-awareness is to look at our own perception of it. So, I want to ask anyone here if they'd answer the following questions (and/or comment). It might become an interesting study.

1. At what age did you realize you are alive?

2. What made you realize you actually are alive?

3. Why do you think you don't remember being alive before that point, even though you were?

4. Did you take any action to indicate to anyone else that you knew you were alive? If so, what did you do?

I'll put my answers here:

1. I am not really sure but it might have been like 1 or 2 years old. Though I don't remember parts that my parents told me such as being able to name a lot of the flowers in a seed catalog at 2 years old even though I could not read.

2.  I think what made me realize I was alive was the fact that I later remembered those things. There was one point though that I had a sense that I was living. Unfortunately it was a very bad experience at the time. I think then I realized I have arms, legs, a body. Plus there was the emotional aspect of what was going on.

3. Probably I didn't have any intense experience of any kind that would have triggered an "oh yeah, I'm alive" thing in my brain. My brain probably wasn't fully wired to figure it all out yet or compute all that went on with what was going on.

4. I wasn't able at the time to do anything due to my age and the situation I was in at the time. I don't think I had a full grasp of language yet either.

[TrueAndroids]

Ah yes self awareness. Interesting questions. Awareness (thinking about) of the self (the agent of the thoughts). That might be the simplest form.

I don't really remember anything before 5 years old.

It probably really sank in in an organized way in freshman philosophy class with Rene Descartes famous "I think therefore I am." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito_ergo_sum

I didn't really talk about it with anyone but philosophy folk, until it became a part of AI and computer people became interested in the topic

[Art]

Most people have no recollection of self prior to age 5. Though some say they can recall being 3 or 4, chances are they saw an old photo of themselves as a child of that age and formed an "associative memory" based on that visualization. Photos of trips to the zoo, rides at the carnival with family and friends, birthday parties, etc., help to solidify these images but they are really not the person's memories.

The mind is intriguing to say the least.