From: Harvey Newstrom (hnewstro@us.ibm.com)
Date: Mon May 08 2000 - 16:55:46 MDT
The original one-and-only "john grigg" <starman125@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Harvey Newstrom wrote:
> I don't want some Harvey Newstromish person to exist in the future. I want
> *this* current Harvey Newstrom to continue to exist and evolve into the
> future
> (end)
>
> I share that sentiment!
I'm so glad that you want to save the original Harvey Newstrom. Most people
are selfishly trying to save their own lives. And you wouldn't believe how
many people would like to see me replaced!
> If it were an upload that captured 100% of your memories, personality and
> intellect, then the connection between the original and the copy would be
> 100%.
I think the similarity would be 100%, but there may be no connection. Are
two identical PC's off an assembly line "connected" in some way? I think
they just look similar, but might have unrelated lives.
> The question is, will science one day be so advanced that they can upload
my
> "full essence" into a machine or a new organic brain? We don't want
copies,
> we want ourselves. And we don't want to chance getting a copy(while we
are
> dead) that actually thinks it's us! I envision some sort of
super-advanced
> _Star Trek_ style "transporter beam" that transfers me into the new form,
> and can even return me to my old one, and without any loss of information,
> energy or matter. Will that ever be possible?
I hope so.
> Harvey, I completely understand where you are coming from. I view a copy
as
> a COPY, and even if ABSOLUTELY like me, it is not "ME." It is instead a
> totally identical twin. This is for me so simple to understand. It will
> start off totally like me, but in time diverge and develop it's own
> identity, to at least an extent.
Yes. Maybe having an identical twin of my own makes me more adamant about
this, but similarity does not equal identity. I have an genetically
identical clone, and do not think we were ever "one" consciousness even as
fetuses. We were two separate life forms as soon as we were physically
separated.
> And any perfect(or simply self-aware) copy (flesh or virtual) of me
deserves
> the full legal rights that I myself have. And does not deserve to be a
> plaything to be tortured or manipulated. Again, this is so simple to
> understand.
Agreed! Let's start an equal rights for equal people campaign.
-- Harvey Newstrom <http://HarveyNewstrom.com> IBM Certified Senior Security Consultant, Legal Hacker, Engineer, Research Scientist, Author.
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