X-Message-Number: 13701 From: Joseph Kehoe <> Subject: me Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 18:12:22 +0100 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 > The transporter doesn't solve the problem. The way I view it, every time > someone transports, they are killed at the point that they are disassembled. > An exact copy is apparently created somewhere else. Since it behaves > exactly like the original, no one else is alarmed and since the original is > dead, there's no one to complain. Kirk died a thousand deaths. > > But if we stay in our original form to avoid the copy dilemma, how long > could we survive with our organic brains? How far could we really evolve? As > has been mentioned by Fred C., we'd soon fall far behind those who do > upload. I don't know the solution. Wish I did though. Philosophically this problem has been around for a long time (since before Socrates) "I can never step into the same river twice" Every day old cells die and are replaced by new ones. Does this mean I am not the same person that I was ten years ago. Have I died in the meantime? I have learnt a lot and in a sense I am not the person that I was ten years ago but it is still me. Surely uploading is the same idea? The fact is that we change each day we live. The only way we can stop changing is by dying (as far as we know). Try the following: 1. The disassembler takes me apart and reassembles me exactly in the exact same place immediately (same molecules same configuration) Is it me? 2. What if there is a half second delay before I am put back? 3. 2 minute delay? 4. no delay but moves me one micrometer left? 5. 1 meter left? 6. I go into a disassembler - It takes me apart and moves all my molecules next door (next city/planet) where it reassembles me exactly (same molecules same configuration) Is it me? 7. I go into a disassembler - It takes me apart and reassembles me next door using some new molecules (same configuration - some different molecules) Is it me? (if not when is it not me 10% diff molecules, 20,50) 8. The disassembler just takes my blueprint leaves me where I am and makes an exact copy next door Are they me? Where am I? (replace disassembler with cryonics freezer in the above scenario - it makes no difference) If I make a perfect copy of myself then by definition it must be me. Now as soon as it starts to have different experiences it will diverge and become someone else (albeit someone with an awful lot in common with me). This should happen within half a second of its being created. This seems perfectly reasonable and logical and I do not see how it could be disputed. The difficulty is what this does to our world view. We have assumed that we are this physical entity. Now we find that we may not be. This physical entity is not static it changes every day. Is it an accident that we thought that brain cells were unchanging? Western scientists always associated me with my brain. Convenient that the brain was the one organ that remained (relatively) static! Now we find that the brain is also changing, cells die and are replaced by new ones. Brain connections change continually. Even the brain changes from day to day. So where are we? What are we? When do we become not we? must go now (work to do and all that) Joseph. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.5.3 iQA/AwUBORmYdlS1Zd370vxLEQKqAgCgmXGc2ZxiNQdzPKPw0zzdPdlxBO4An1Cd 3Hs7tzwWy8kmpdYl608I6dbL =Gy0N -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=13701