From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Sat Jul 07 2001 - 09:53:47 MDT
From: "Miriam English" <miriam@werple.net.au>
There is no continuous me -- just the
> illusion of it maintained by my memories of what I did and felt on the
> preceding day.
That is exactly the case, as pointed out over five thousand years ago in
ancient texts (Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, among others). Sometimes it does
help to consult the archives, in this case, some very old archives.
> If my biological self died in her sleep one night and next day my
> downloaded self awoke, then in what way have I not continued? I would still
> remember what went before in exactly the same way I do each morning of my
> biological life.
Right, except that your biological life has a body attached to it. If the
"copy" has an identically replicated body attached to it, then it's more than
an "upload" -- it's an exact duplicate organism as well as a cognitive twin --
an extremely difficult item to create.
Stay hungry,
--J. R.
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, CYC, and ELIZA
Everything that can happen has already happened, not just once,
but an infinite number of times, and will continue to do so forever.
(Everything that can happen = more than anyone can imagine.)
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