From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Sat Oct 12 2002 - 11:32:20 MDT
Future Q writes
> Lee Corbin wrote:
>
> > Well, you see, if you agree to be disintegrated now so
> > that your perfect xox gets to continue to live in Angola,
> > you are agreeing to what is *physically* the same end
> > result. In short, unless you believe in the existence
> > of some non-material component of *you*, the equivalence
> > of the two foregoing operations proves that the death
> > of one *xox*---even if he's the one reading this right
> > now---is not anything like actual death. One continues
> > to live as one's duplicates, because duplicates are self.
> >
> > Lee
>
> Then in this case if I kill all but one last remaining Lee
> Corbin xox I should not be tried for murder because so long
> as one remains I have not caused the death of the Lee Corbin
> entity.
That is correct, but of course you are entering into the
domain of what works for societies, and that's so complicated
that only evolution has come up with answers (all of our
puny human designs having proved to be grotesque failures).
But yes, in a future where perhaps 10^12 of me reside
electronically in the Solar System, should some fiend
delete all but one, and somehow also delete their
backed-up memories, this entity should be charged with
the grossest violation of my rights. Wanton data
destruction itself probably would result in mandatory
penalties alone!
> With this possibility we could have all sorts of
> distasteful things occur.
Beware of that which is merely "distasteful". Anesthetic
was considered distasteful to 19th century physicians,
and today cloning is considered "distasteful" as well
as the nearly compulsory "disturbing".
> How about actors xox's that really get killed so the
> special effects in films reach true realism? Xox's
> could fight wars and nobody really dies!
If it's okay with the xox's, then it's okay with me.
But an important distinction has occurred in other
discussions of life and simulation. (You probably
know that we already may be living in a simulation.)
Your suggestion concerns the *appearance* of wars
and death, because you used the term "realism". So
all that would be needed are *portrayals* of gore
and death.
Lee
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