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So what makes me me? I ask this as we are fast approaching a time when no-one will actually die anymore. Lets start with some examples:
1) I play Eve-online (anyone else into this?). Its an MMOG based in space. I fly a ship about, occasionally into combat. If my ship gets destroyed I eject in an escape pod. If This gets destroyed, then I die. To prevent me from having to start a new charater from afresh, at the point of death my brain gets scanned by an implant which then transmits the data to a cloning facility. At this facility a new clone of me is waiting. The data is downloaded into the clone, which is then activated. I am alive again. Is this really me, or a copy of me?
2)A futureologist predicts that by the time my generation becomes old and starts to die, there will be the technology available to copy ourselves onto a computer so that we live on after our death. Is this me living on, or a facsimile of me in a computer simulation?
In essence, what is it that makes me me. Is it my brain functions, those neurons that fire off continuously, coupled with my memory and experiences, my personality traits and my intellect? Is there a soul, a part of the body that once dead, can never come back?
Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
So what makes me me, as opposed to an exact copy? Is it a soul, or brain functions? Your thoughts please.
1) I play Eve-online (anyone else into this?). Its an MMOG based in space. I fly a ship about, occasionally into combat. If my ship gets destroyed I eject in an escape pod. If This gets destroyed, then I die. To prevent me from having to start a new charater from afresh, at the point of death my brain gets scanned by an implant which then transmits the data to a cloning facility. At this facility a new clone of me is waiting. The data is downloaded into the clone, which is then activated. I am alive again. Is this really me, or a copy of me?
2)A futureologist predicts that by the time my generation becomes old and starts to die, there will be the technology available to copy ourselves onto a computer so that we live on after our death. Is this me living on, or a facsimile of me in a computer simulation?
In essence, what is it that makes me me. Is it my brain functions, those neurons that fire off continuously, coupled with my memory and experiences, my personality traits and my intellect? Is there a soul, a part of the body that once dead, can never come back?
Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
So what makes me me, as opposed to an exact copy? Is it a soul, or brain functions? Your thoughts please.
Tallan wrote:
> So what makes me me?
*read's er-no's story*
*ponders*
Nah, you wouldn't be able to get to a computer...
:^D
> So what makes me me?
*read's er-no's story*
*ponders*
Nah, you wouldn't be able to get to a computer...
:^D
im you
I'm not me, I'm somebody else, so I wouldn't know either way to any of the questions posed.
Heh, bit late at night for all the hard questions :^)
> Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
I think you live again.
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
I'd say alive again.
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
No.
In my humble opinion, consciousness is tied to the physical presence of the brain. Copy the brain and you copy the person.
Reactivate the brain, and you reactivate the person. I'd guess the consciousness would experience it in a similar way to the temporary shut-down of blacking out or sleeping w/out dreams.
As for an eternal soul - well, we're always changing, aren't we? The me of yesterday is gone, and here I am instead. Just because the change occurs gradually doesn't necessarily make the result any less different.
Of course, there is the continuity of consciousness. Does this distinguish the change from the 'brain to computer sim' scenario?
It's tempting to say yes. I guess to say no, you have to decide that the you of yesterday is dead.
So in summary, I don't know :^)
> Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
I think you live again.
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
I'd say alive again.
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
No.
In my humble opinion, consciousness is tied to the physical presence of the brain. Copy the brain and you copy the person.
Reactivate the brain, and you reactivate the person. I'd guess the consciousness would experience it in a similar way to the temporary shut-down of blacking out or sleeping w/out dreams.
As for an eternal soul - well, we're always changing, aren't we? The me of yesterday is gone, and here I am instead. Just because the change occurs gradually doesn't necessarily make the result any less different.
Of course, there is the continuity of consciousness. Does this distinguish the change from the 'brain to computer sim' scenario?
It's tempting to say yes. I guess to say no, you have to decide that the you of yesterday is dead.
So in summary, I don't know :^)
The computer simulation is designed to provide me with stimulus, so as to create the illusion that I have arms, legs, eyes, ears etc. After all, everything you interpret (or sense) is only electrical signals being passed to your brain from the input device. You touch a table, the nerve endings in your finger send signals to your brain which interprets you are touching something. Replace finger nerve endings with electrical circuit doing the same and you have the proposed simulation of me.
You'd be you... but I'm not sure if you'd be yourself.
I suppose the clone thingamy would be closets because you'd still have you limbs. I think just keeping the brain data would be more a record of you than actual you.
Sort of. :-)
I suppose the clone thingamy would be closets because you'd still have you limbs. I think just keeping the brain data would be more a record of you than actual you.
Sort of. :-)
So what makes me me? I ask this as we are fast approaching a time when no-one will actually die anymore. Lets start with some examples:
1) I play Eve-online (anyone else into this?). Its an MMOG based in space. I fly a ship about, occasionally into combat. If my ship gets destroyed I eject in an escape pod. If This gets destroyed, then I die. To prevent me from having to start a new charater from afresh, at the point of death my brain gets scanned by an implant which then transmits the data to a cloning facility. At this facility a new clone of me is waiting. The data is downloaded into the clone, which is then activated. I am alive again. Is this really me, or a copy of me?
2)A futureologist predicts that by the time my generation becomes old and starts to die, there will be the technology available to copy ourselves onto a computer so that we live on after our death. Is this me living on, or a facsimile of me in a computer simulation?
In essence, what is it that makes me me. Is it my brain functions, those neurons that fire off continuously, coupled with my memory and experiences, my personality traits and my intellect? Is there a soul, a part of the body that once dead, can never come back?
Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
So what makes me me, as opposed to an exact copy? Is it a soul, or brain functions? Your thoughts please.
1) I play Eve-online (anyone else into this?). Its an MMOG based in space. I fly a ship about, occasionally into combat. If my ship gets destroyed I eject in an escape pod. If This gets destroyed, then I die. To prevent me from having to start a new charater from afresh, at the point of death my brain gets scanned by an implant which then transmits the data to a cloning facility. At this facility a new clone of me is waiting. The data is downloaded into the clone, which is then activated. I am alive again. Is this really me, or a copy of me?
2)A futureologist predicts that by the time my generation becomes old and starts to die, there will be the technology available to copy ourselves onto a computer so that we live on after our death. Is this me living on, or a facsimile of me in a computer simulation?
In essence, what is it that makes me me. Is it my brain functions, those neurons that fire off continuously, coupled with my memory and experiences, my personality traits and my intellect? Is there a soul, a part of the body that once dead, can never come back?
Consider these:
A) I die. You re-animate my body and brain. Do I live again, or has my soul departed and left a shell that is just reacting to stimulus like a computer?
B) I die, you take my brain out and plae it in a machine that can keep it alive, providing all the usual sensory input and allowing output. Am I alive again (has the 'soul' come with me), or is it as above, with the shell thing?
C) I die, copy to computer, blah blah, am I alive or not?
So what makes me me, as opposed to an exact copy? Is it a soul, or brain functions? Your thoughts please.