X-Message-Number: 11052
From: "den Otter" <>
Subject: Re: Uploading and the soul
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 17:09:23 +0100

> Message #11046
> From: 
> Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 07:28:03 -0500
> Subject: Uploading and the soul

> I really agree with Thomas Donaldson on the information that the soul
> really is just a conglomerate of thoughts, experiences and  things that
> make up our lives that combined make us who we are, but since this is
> constantly changing, I feel that the proposed "uploading" wouldn't really
> work that well. 	The only part of our memories that would live forever are
> the parts directly after our memories are copied, that may grant
> immortality to a version of you (V 1.0) but still whatever actions,
> memories and experiences that have occured since the uploading took place
> are gone, so the part of you that can be downloaded and revived is only
> Version 1.0 while you die V 1.4 (or something of thatl ilk). 	Any
> comments?  

Well, this is just one form of uploading. Another form involves 
having your neurons replaced "one by one" by artificial ones 
(by nanotech), preferably while conscious, until you have an 
artificial brain. The same result could theoretically be achieved 
by scanning the brain's structure into a computer, and then 
destroying the original, but this method doesn't "feel right" to 
many (me included). 

When done, you can shift your consciousness to any number 
of (perhaps radically different) bodies or locations that have the 
capability to run a brain simulation. In essence you have become 
"pure data" or a "spirit". Of course you can still make any number 
of backups, stored at various locations. In this scenario, there is 
no destinction between the original and the upload; they are one 
and the same. The upload isn't a static program, but actually far 
more flexible than it could ever be while running on a "flesh 
computer" (brain). 

Once uploaded, one could quickly become a SI, or superintelligence
as adding and tweaking emotions, brain functions and increasing the 
brain's speed (by running it on faster, more powerful hardware) etc. 
would be relatively easy for an upload. With the aid of nanotechnology 
and such, it could (for example) become a planet or star-sized ball of
pure computing power; a "Jupiter Brain". Such a consciousness
would probably relate to us as we do to ants, or mice at best. And
the good (well, good for some anyway) news is that all of this could 
happen within a 30-100 year timeframe, perhaps even sooner.

See also: http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Global/Uploading/
and http://metalab.unc.edu/jstrout/uploading/MUHomePage.html

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