Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com> Wrote:
> My problem with data as identity is that it doesn't contain any of the
> classical requirements for the definition of life. A printout of all my
> data is not conscious, functional, cannot grow, cannot adapt, cannot
> perceive, cannot learn, and cannot change.
That's true, life without change is no life, for the information to be dynamic
you need to process it with a computer and for that you need matter.
However information is the part that makes you be you because matter
is generic. Any carbon atom will work just fine and it can be incorporated
into a semiconductor computer or a nanocomputer or a quantum computer
or mechanical computer or a meat computer.
>I believe that my dead body would also meet this definition, containing
>all my atoms and data stored in a meat substrate.
If your body hadn't decayed too much then yes.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:24 MDT