X-Message-Number: 12584
From: "Pierre Le Bert" <>
Subject: body, mind
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 00:45:46 +0200

SCIENCE

There is something remarkable about science: we are studying interactions
between objects we can not define (matter, mind, existence, ...).

What is "matter" ? Never mind !
What is "mind" ? No matter !

BODY, MIND

Imagine... that one day technology can perfectly repare your body and
rebuild what has been broken by cryogeny. To be sure you are the same as
before, there is some kind of perfect scanner that scanned you just before
freezing. This way, scientists have some kind of map to know how to repare
your body so that you will be really "you" when you wake up. Sounds good ?

Imagine... If you can repare and scan, why not rebuild ex-nihilo ? So you do
not need to keep this body ! Just use this map and some matter ajusted in
the proper way, and then you are back ! This may be quite shoking, because
you may think you need this body and that same matter to be yourself ! But
as you are reading this mail, some matter you have ingested a few hours ago
is just replacing some matter that was "your" matter ! And you still feel
the same ! So this matter that composes your body is not necessary to
maintain the "self". In other words, matter has no identity. So if it is not
the matter, the only thing that is left is the map, the information. You are
"your information". Sounds good ?

Imagine... If you use a map to rebuild or repare "one" body, why not doing
it twice, three times or more times ? Ten perfectly identical bodies that
wake up ! Which one is the one that has been frozen ? Who knows ! If you
hurt one of them, the others will not suffer... like perfect twins (for they
are perfect twins). This does just mean that you can duplicate the bodies
but not the "self". Each body will have its own "self". So it seems that you
are neither matter nor information and even less a mix.

Do not imagine... now, just now, you are reading those words. You are still
feeling the same, don't you ? And this is the paradox. As matter is replaced
and information is changing, you are still yourself ! In fact you are always
yourself ! But there is no continuity of the "self".

As you can see, there is no way to maintain the "self". Freezing people will
not keep the continuity for there is none. Sounds good ?

Do not imagine. There is anyway something left. No matter, no information.
Maybe the "Self" is a process: you are neither the motor, nor the plan of
the motor but that thing that happens when the motor is running. And this
thing is unique for every motor. You are the "running".

So what ? Maybe evolution has created the instinct of preservation to
optimize survival. Maybe cryogeny is only an illusion induced by this
instinct. But we are trapped! We want to "be" forever and we do not even
know what we are ! We want to keep something that is a process. But
processes are no substance, and therefore can not be kept in bottles.

PLB


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