From: den Otter (otter@globalxs.nl)
Date: Mon Sep 08 1997 - 12:35:12 MDT
----------
>
> >If you don't care about dying, why even bother with uploading at
all?
>
>
> I think it's important to ask yourself exactly what is bad about death,
> personally I don't like death because it doesn't seem like much fun, it
> doesn't seem like much of anything.
Right, death is (as far as we know, but I'd rather not find out for sure ;)
the end of all imput/output and should be prevented. Does this mean we
agree after all (on this bit)??
> Remember those old Twilight Zones when at
> the end the hero is horrified to discover that he's really dead, even as
a
> kid I never understood that.
Me neither. In fact, being a ghost or something almost looks like fun.
> >You "know" you exist here and now, and that your memories are real >
>and your own.
>
>
> That is my working hypothesis but I don't "know" it to be true, and if
I'm
> wrong so what. It didn't bother me yesterday, why should it bother me
> tomorrow?
>
>
> >Why take this enormous risk with direct uploading when you can do
> >the whole process gradually and without ever losing your >
>consciousness
>
>
> Well, it's possible that fast uploading will destroy my consciousness >
while
> doing it slowly will preserve it. It's also possible that slow uploading
will
> destroy my consciousness while doing it quickly preserve it. Both have >
equal probability of being correct, about the same chance as me being > >
the only conscious being in the universe.
IM(weakly scientific)O gradual uploading is the safest, because it
allows more time for error correction, doesn't destroy the original brain
and probably requires simpler (more complexity means more chances
for a system failure, I belief) technology. It's the cautious approach to
a tricky problem, and could very well be the *only* way to "immortalize"
yourself.
I'd say the probability that (theoratically) gradual uploading works is
90%, that instant uploading works about 5%, and the probability that *you*
are
the only conscious being in the universe is 0.0000000000000000000001%
(btw, I always thought this too! Yep, I'm quite sure you're just something
I made up ;)
> So just what is it that the "original" (whatever that means) has that the
> "fake" does not, a soul?
No, it just isn't a continuation of yourself. It isn't you, just like a
clone
isn't you. It is strange how the same people that acknowledge that
cloning is not a viable way to expand your lifespan, think that making an
electronic copy of your brain structure is a good way to do it [extending
your lifespan]. It's not, it's probably the very opposite: suicide.
Quite simply, direct uploading is cloning of the mind. Nothing more,
nothing less. And cloning is a lousy way to become immortal.
DdO
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