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Re-read "Kurzweil's on Self": Here's Ray Kurzweil on the nature of the self, in his generous and excellent article on Wolfram's A New Kind of Science:

If I ask the question, 'Who am I?' I could conclude that, perhaps I am this stuff here, i.e., the ordered and chaotic collection of molecules that comprise my body and brain.

However, the specific set of particles that comprise my body and brain are completely different from the atoms and molecules than comprised me only a short while (on the order of weeks) ago. We know that most of our cells are turned over in a matter of weeks. Even those that persist longer (e.g., neurons) nonetheless change their component molecules in a matter of weeks.

So I am a completely different set of stuff than I was a month ago. All that persists is the pattern of organization of that stuff. The pattern changes also, but slowly and in a continuum from my past self. From this perspective I am rather like the pattern that water makes in a stream as it rushes past the rocks in its path. The actual molecules (of water) change every millisecond, but the pattern persists for hours or even years.

From this Kurzweil seems to conclude -fallaciously -that the self is merely formal. That is, the substance is irrelevant. Therefore, other stuff with the same form is just as much the self. Thus, strong AI is possible.

Thanks David, you provide me new perspectives from Kurzweil. I've printed all His "K-Reader" articles as bed reading materials.