X-Message-Number: 25325 From: "marta sandberg" <> Subject: The Importance of Being Continuous Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 11:24:31 +0800 I have been off Cryonet for a few years (in fact, I decided to log off the Internet all together as it took up too much of my time), and it is interesting that almost the same argument on uploading and copying the brain/mind is still going on as when I last logged in. If I remember correctly, the consensus then seemed to be that it probably was a personal matter if you thought you could survive uploading/re-booting but most people found continuity to be the single most important criteria. This is tempered by the fact that we have developed a curious resistance towards temporary breaks in consciousness. I m not only talking only about losing consciousness when you are hit on the head or during an operation when you are under anaesthesia, but also the daily switch-off when you go to sleep. One of the most telling story was a little mind game. Imagine you are trapped in an alien spaceship. In one corner is a sleeping beast that VERY SOON will wake up and devour you. In the other corner is a duplication/teleportation machine. When you step into this machine it will destroy the original and create two copies of you one will safely be deposited back on Earth and the other will be dumped back on the spaceship (awaiting digestion by the space monster). The question was: If you stepped into the duplicator, would you feel YOU had survived cause one of your copied selves was alive on Earth? Lots of people had different answers, but the best solution (ie. the solution most people seemed to unite behind), was I would try the machine, and then I d try it again and again and again . . The philosophy behind that answer is quite interesting (as well as showing a great deal of ingenuity and stubbornness). Marta _________________________________________________________________ Searching for that dream home? Try http://ninemsn.realestate.com.au for all your property needs. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=25325