[rescue] Sun Sparcstation 20 hard disks

Mouse mouse at Rodents-Montreal.ORG
Thu Aug 25 15:25:55 CDT 2011


>> Though seriously, I consider it within the bounds of possibility
>> that, assuming we do not suffer a civilization crash, by the time my
>> physical body's ability to sustain me is exhausted, we will have the
>> capability to opt for upload into zettabyte space.
> what bothers me about that is, it's like email - only a -copy- of the
> -original-, which still dies.

In a sense.  But in some sense, we're all dying all the time.

It's continuity of sense-of-self, which mostly means continuity of
memory, that I care about.  If my mind can be moved to a silicon
substrate, I wouldn't care about the meat substrate I left behind any
more than I care about the way my current body's cells keep dying all
the time now.

> the fate of me - the original - isn't changed just b/c the -copy-
> lives forever.

But what is "me"?  We don't yet know what "me" will be when - if - that
sort of thing becomes possible.

> nor does it matter if 3rd parties can't tell the difference between
> us - i can.

Can you?  Maybe you won't be able to.  We don't yet know.  For all we
know, it may turn out that during the time that both the CHON you and
the silicon you exist, they will share a single mind.

It's also possible it'll work out some other way.  We just don't know
yet.

/~\ The ASCII				  Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
 X  Against HTML		mouse at rodents-montreal.org
/ \ Email!	     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B


More information about the rescue mailing list