Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't put the Physics Department a floor above the Philosophy Department. However, they both have to ascend the stairs to visit the Mathematics Department. :)

That said, I do find it terribly frustrating that we have had piles of evidence sitting around for about a century now from Special Relativity and Quantum mechanics that get swept under the rug at the outset of some philosophical inquiries. It's as if we discovered bluebirds, and then several decades later, question whether or not it were possible that a small bird could be blue.

We have this fantastic hard-won evidence that shows us that no matter can occupy one space or one time. In fact, if it did, it would be a completely new type of matter that would turn our current understanding of the world upside down. And yet, we continue endlessly explore the conundrums of a self that resides some where at some time, when we know full well that it is an impossible initial condition. IMHO if we are to move onward, we have to be willing to get uncomfortable, and start trying to build new language to talk about new concepts in new terms. We must abandon the accepted notion of self. It's no longer enough to poke and prod at it and see how silly it is. We know it is silly. Now we need to try to build a less silly definition that better withstands our current poking and prodding. Thankfully, IMHO artificial intelligence is going to force our hand in this respect. :)