X-Message-Number: 15176 From: "Gary Tripp" <> Subject: relevant/irrelevant? Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 22:07:27 -0500 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C06DF5.E71FA600 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" With regard to Charles Platt's concerns I should say that I find the debates between Thomas Donaldson and Mike Perry on the issue of simulation and identity important because in the future we may be faced with a situation where the only practical way to re-animate someone who was frozen via earlier suspension techniques would be through simulation. After we've gleaned as much information as we can from the remaining structure we may have to edit the simulated neural connections in software, test them or make inferences in order maintain some overall consistency with our expectations of that individuals behaviour. In a larger sense cryonics really goes to the heart of what constitutes a definition of our humanity. Some (not me) would argue that unless the whole original body is reanimated the excercise does not preserve identity. I'm in the camp that believes that simulation would be adequate. /gary ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C06DF5.E71FA600 Content-Type: text/html; [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=15176