Seems silly to overwrite another blog in the same day, given how sporadically I update, but hey - that's sporadic..icism...ness for you.
I wrote this email to a favorite podcaster of mine and was curious to see if anyone on SG wants to start thinking about stuff that really serves no constructive purpose:
So a while ago I think you mentioned something about uploading our brains to computers. Y'know, in the future. I've given this subject more thought than anyone ought to, and wanted to prod you into doing the same. I realize this is probably too long for Ask George but what the hell, if it gets on I'll be thrilled.
I think I'm leaning against such a thing being possible. I've heard people mention that the teleporters in Star Trek would actually kill the people who use it, and then assemble a copy elsewhere. That makes sense to me. You and I don't believe in souls, and we've seen a lot of evidence to make us think that we are our brains. I am my brain, and my body is the shell the brain controls. If something happens to my body that enabled my brain to survive, I'm still me. But if something happens to the brain, am I? I don't think so.
So, back to the point, uploading our minds to computers. This raises the same question that the Star Trek thing does - why is the original destroyed in the process? Is there anything about it that necessitates that? Couldn't we just as easily make a copy? And, if so, why would we think that destroying the original and making a copy is anything other than the death of the original? And here's the problem. You might be able to get a computer to put together a really good AI that acts just like you. But it wouldn't be You, that guy you experience in first person. It'd just be some dude (or program, whatever) that acts exactly like You. You'd be dead.
Then the question arises - what happens when you replace the brain bit-by-bit? Let's say we swapped out each individual molecule in your brain one by one, gradually, but keeping you conscious and chatting the whole time. Let's also assume this is painless and not gross. At what point are you not You anymore? If all the original molecules are immediately reassembled somewhere else, is that You? Doesn't seem like it should be. Now consider that this is already happening oh my god run!! The folks over at the Skeptic's Guide pointed out a long, long time ago that our bodies no longer contain any of the molecules with which we were originally born. So are you even You anymore? Are you the You that your mom gave birth to? Is she even your mom anymore?
Oh, theoretical science fiction. How you hurt my brain.
I wrote this email to a favorite podcaster of mine and was curious to see if anyone on SG wants to start thinking about stuff that really serves no constructive purpose:
So a while ago I think you mentioned something about uploading our brains to computers. Y'know, in the future. I've given this subject more thought than anyone ought to, and wanted to prod you into doing the same. I realize this is probably too long for Ask George but what the hell, if it gets on I'll be thrilled.
I think I'm leaning against such a thing being possible. I've heard people mention that the teleporters in Star Trek would actually kill the people who use it, and then assemble a copy elsewhere. That makes sense to me. You and I don't believe in souls, and we've seen a lot of evidence to make us think that we are our brains. I am my brain, and my body is the shell the brain controls. If something happens to my body that enabled my brain to survive, I'm still me. But if something happens to the brain, am I? I don't think so.
So, back to the point, uploading our minds to computers. This raises the same question that the Star Trek thing does - why is the original destroyed in the process? Is there anything about it that necessitates that? Couldn't we just as easily make a copy? And, if so, why would we think that destroying the original and making a copy is anything other than the death of the original? And here's the problem. You might be able to get a computer to put together a really good AI that acts just like you. But it wouldn't be You, that guy you experience in first person. It'd just be some dude (or program, whatever) that acts exactly like You. You'd be dead.
Then the question arises - what happens when you replace the brain bit-by-bit? Let's say we swapped out each individual molecule in your brain one by one, gradually, but keeping you conscious and chatting the whole time. Let's also assume this is painless and not gross. At what point are you not You anymore? If all the original molecules are immediately reassembled somewhere else, is that You? Doesn't seem like it should be. Now consider that this is already happening oh my god run!! The folks over at the Skeptic's Guide pointed out a long, long time ago that our bodies no longer contain any of the molecules with which we were originally born. So are you even You anymore? Are you the You that your mom gave birth to? Is she even your mom anymore?
Oh, theoretical science fiction. How you hurt my brain.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
Sounds like you're giving the original you some sort of inherent, unique, unreproducible quality beyond what's created by mere biology and chemistry. Sounds like you're talking about a soul to me.