X-Message-Number: 33460
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:47:07 -0500
Subject: #33457: Emulation? [Ettinger]
From: Vortex Prism <>

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For Robert Ettinger:

>a description of a thing (material object or system) is not

>that thing. A map of a city is not a city. A blueprint of a

>house is not a house, regardless of detail and fidelity.


You are quite right, a description of a thing is just a description. It
could be one word, or 10,000 terabytes. It's what you do with that
description that matters. With a blueprint you can build a house. With a
mind map you can lay down a pattern of neurons and synaptic connections.


>In principle it might seem that, yes, if you study the

>woman sufficiently you will be able to describe her with

>perfect fidelity, atom for atom, and predict her thoughts

>and actions over time. But just a little thought will reveal

>that for the foreseeable future this is a hopeless enterprise.

>One reason is that we don't know, and are unlikely soon

>to know, the basic laws of physics which must govern the

>algorithm. For example, some of the interpretations and

>extensions of quantum physics are the various brands of string
>or M or brane theory, which may involve extra dimensions

>of space or time.

Correct me if I am wrong. What you seem to be saying here is that we will
someday be able to record the exact map of a woman's brain, down to the
individual atoms - but not understand or predict the algorithm(s) that
determine how that mind functions? Your reasons for this conclusion are
references to quantum physics, string theory, and extra dimensions of space
or time?


I'm sorry, but this argument seems totally illogical to me. There is a vast
body of scientific evidence that shows that the essential information is
stored at a much higher level than the quantum realm. In his comprehensive
work, 'Neurobiology', Gordon M. Shephard, M.D., concludes that: "The concept
that brain functions are mediated by cell assemblies and neuronal circuits
has become widely accepted, as will be obvious to the reader of this book,
and most neurobiologists believe that plastic changes at synapses are the
underlying mechanisms of learning and memory."


The brain does what it does, because of its structure. It can't do anything
else. In other words, you supply it with oxygenated blood and it goes to
town.


As a side note:


I think vigorous debate is a good thing, but I've noticed that the
discussions on Cryonet occasionally get personal. That is not my intention.
In particular, I have the utmost respect for you, Dr. Ettinger.. I just
disagree with you on this subject.

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