[geeks] [rescue] consciousness immortality [was: Sun Sparcstation 20 hard disks]

[Nate Raymond]

On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 3:39 PM, Phil Stracchino <alaric at metrocast.net>wrote:

> This also raises more interesting questions.
>
> Suppose it turns out you *can* have a single consciousness existing
> simultaneously, mirrored or distributed across both organic and silicon
> substrates, or otherwise in some form combining both software and
> wetware.  The next question becomes, *how many* software copies can be a
> part of this consciousness?  And can they act independently from the
> wetware copy?  Can they go on to spawn their own copies, and if so, do
> those become equal parts of the entire gestalt?
>

Some of this was explored to a limited extent in the game Mass Effect 2 with
the character 'Legion':

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Legion

One of my favorite characters/parts of that game.

- Nate