Re:

From: Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Date: Mon Jun 04 2001 - 14:57:37 MDT

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Rafal, please, please switch off the HTML in your mailer.
I'm not yet ready to deal with HTML with maximum prejudice
(a little personal demo of the capabilities included),
so please have mercy.

"Smigrodzki, Rafal" wrote:
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ACC is anterior cingulate cortex

Lee Corbin wrote:

You enter a room and find a block of ice =
encasing a
    frozen duplicate of you that was made a =
few minutes
    ago.  On the block of ice sits a =
briefcase with ten
    million dollars in it.  You have =
two choices:
    (A) allow your frozen duplicate to be =
disintegrated
        along with the =
briefcase
    (B) agree to be instead disintegrated =
yourself, so
        that your =
duplicate awakes and deposits the money

### Yes I would take B! Except that I would prefer a =
different scenario - " I am persecuted by the minions of the evil =
World Government. I manage to get access to the secret man-xerox and =
make one frozen copy. Since I do it, I am sure it's my copy, not one of =
Eugene's tricks. I hide plans to the world control machine with my copy =
and go out to face the oppressors. The body gets quickly killed. The =
copy is automatically activated, I use the control machine to end the =
world goverment's dominion, and live happily ever after". This is =
more palatable because I now that it is not a trick, somebody setting =
me up with a body that looks like me and a briefcase of (maybe fake) =
money. I also don't just get zapped but actively seek my destiny, =
taking some of the bad guys with me.

But yes, I do take B.

Do you think that the concept of "I" =
really has integrity?
   By that I mean, given that if in the future =
we are able to
   manipulate all these various functional =
modules (or their
   uploaded equivalents), will (or should) a =
concept like "I"
   continue to survive?  Or is it sort of a =
delusion?

### No, it's not a delusion - it works! Any concept =
that keeps millions of complicated self-programming computers humming =
along for years cannot be a delusion. Yet, on the other hand, with =
changing conditions this concept will have to evolve (in a small part =
thanks to the Extropian discussions, I hope).

The answer has grave implications for "Progress: =
What does
 it mean to **you**?".

### Progress means things happen the way I want them =
to happen. In particular, I want nice people to live long happy lives, =
get to know stuff, have some fun, plant trees, find out what is on the =
other side of the Universe, and I don't want bad people to mess with =
the nice ones.

Now, seriously, progress is too complex an idea to =
write up in a short email. Maybe whan I am on call again.

Rafal Smigrodzki MD-PhD
 Dept Neurology University of Pittsburgh
 smigrodzkir@msx.upmc.edu

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