X-Message-Number: 25207
From: "Valera Retyunin" <>
Subject: Safeguards against uploaders?
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2004 21:06:15 +0300

I was truly amazed by how easily (and "continuously"?) Thomas Donaldson
jumped from the idea that nothing is continuous (i.e. even a solid is not
continuous because there's space between the atoms, and atoms themselves may
be disappearing and reappearing) to the idea of "supercontinuity" (i.e. I
and someone else are "continuous" just because that someone else is an exact
copy of me). Thomas, I think you should be more careful in applying abstract
ideas to the physical world.

The popularity of all these "survival through hi-tech duplication" ideas
really concerns me. I am planning to arrange cryonics contracts for my
parents. I fear that at some point people with a liking for comforting
abstractions and re-definitions may make up a majority on the CI board of
directors and decide to duplicate my mum or dad instead of reanimating them.
I don't want them to be killed, even in such a wonderful futuristic manner
as uploading, and even if I got electronic or biological copies of them in
return. Are there any safeguards against attempts by "benevolent" uploaders
in authority within cryonics organisations to finish... sorry, upload off
cryonics patients?

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