I have a pretty simple, philosophically dumb answer for this: I don’t want to die. I’m also pretty skeptical about any intervention that seems like a copy-and-delete operation (ie uploading) and it would take a lot to make me feel comfortable with that. Obviously I might have limited power to decide the outcome, but what power I do have I will apply to preserving myself selfishly. I consider this a way to avoid being ‘morally scammed’.
I assume that many will agree with your response for the mind “uploading” scenario.
At the same time I think we can safely say that there would be at least some people that would go through with it.
Would you consider those minds that are “uploaded” as persons or would you object to that?
Besides that “uploading” scenario, what would your limit be for other plausible transhumanist modifications?
I would consider uploads to be persons, but I’m also much more willing to grant that status to AIs, even radically unnatural ones, than the average human today. It’s not their humanness that makes uploads persons, it’s their ability to experience qualia. Qualia (and specifically the ability to suffer) is the basis of moral relevance. Unfortunately we do not have a good answer to the question “What can experience qualia?” yet, and we are already building things deep in the gray area. I don’t know what to say about this.
I have a pretty simple, philosophically dumb answer for this: I don’t want to die. I’m also pretty skeptical about any intervention that seems like a copy-and-delete operation (ie uploading) and it would take a lot to make me feel comfortable with that. Obviously I might have limited power to decide the outcome, but what power I do have I will apply to preserving myself selfishly. I consider this a way to avoid being ‘morally scammed’.
Ditto, except I’d be delighted with a copy and delete option, if such an inconceivably complex technology were available.
I assume that many will agree with your response for the mind “uploading” scenario. At the same time I think we can safely say that there would be at least some people that would go through with it. Would you consider those minds that are “uploaded” as persons or would you object to that?
Besides that “uploading” scenario, what would your limit be for other plausible transhumanist modifications?
I would consider uploads to be persons, but I’m also much more willing to grant that status to AIs, even radically unnatural ones, than the average human today. It’s not their humanness that makes uploads persons, it’s their ability to experience qualia. Qualia (and specifically the ability to suffer) is the basis of moral relevance. Unfortunately we do not have a good answer to the question “What can experience qualia?” yet, and we are already building things deep in the gray area. I don’t know what to say about this.