From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Wed Aug 22 2001 - 22:51:03 MDT
>From: Anders Sandberg <asa@nada.kth.se>
>On Tue, Aug 21, 2001 at 10:00:21PM -0700, Zero Powers wrote:
> > That said however, given the choice I'd go for the cybergnosticism
>simply
> > because, given enough computing power, data and sensors a meat-based
>body
> > would be of no benefit. There would be no experience in the material
>world
> > which could not be compelling duplicated (even significantly enhanced)
>in
> > the VR world.
>
>I think there is an important difference between cybergnosticism as I
>described it and simply accepting uploading as a good idea. We all seem to
>agree that being digital and movable is a more practical form of existence
>for human flourishing than being tied to a certain computational matrix.
>But
>do you view the material world as something inherently bad, and the
>uploaded
>state as inherently good? A cybergnostic would do this, although many
>people
>who are in practice cybergnostics have not thought through these issues
>very
>carefully and simply reflexively say that uploading is good. Once you start
>to pick at the question *why* uploading is a good thing, then much of
>cybergnosticism evaporates.
Actually I'm a late comer to this thread and missed your earlier description
of cybergnosticism. And, while I may not have thought through all the
ultimate conclusions, it still seems like a good thing to me.
I would not go so far as to view the material world as something inherently
bad. The Apple II was not a "bad" computer, but it is outstripped in almost
every respect by the G4. The material world is not "bad" but I believe it
will be outstripped in almost every respect by software life.
-Zero
"I'm a seeker too. But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help thinking
that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man.
Has to be." -- George Taylor _Planet of the Apes_ (1968)
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