Here’s a thought experiment that helps me think about uploading (which I perceive as the real, observable-consequences-having issue here):
Suppose that you believed in souls (it is not that hard to get into that mindset—lots of people can do it). Also suppose that you believed in transmigration or reincarnation of souls. Finally, suppose that you believe that souls move around between bodies during the night, when people are asleep. Despite your belief in souls, you know that memories, skills, personality, goals are all located in the brain, not the soul.
Why do you go to sleep? Your consciousness will go out like a light! However, your soul will continue to exist, it will just go on to a different body. Your body has various goals and plans, that it worked on during the day, but it will get another soul tomorrow, and it’s pretty experienced at this kind of juggling, guarding its goals and plans from harm while it is unconscious, and picking up the threads when it becomes conscious again.
Now consider (destructive) teleportation. Why allow your body to be destructively scanned and reconstructed? Well, if you (your body) has the same degree of trust in the equipment that you (your body) has in the process of going to sleep at night, then the two are exactly parallel. The new body will become conscious, and pick up its threads of memory, personality, skills, goals, probably with a different soul, but bodies are used to that.
Now consider (destructive) transmutation. If the reconstructed body used silicon instead of carbon, is anything different?
As far as I can tell, Tegmark’s mathematical universe is “true” but hard to think with. You overwhelm yourself with images of bigness and variety and parallel, nearly-identical copies, but it has to add up to normality at the end. If you’re trying to do something (think about something) difficult, maintaining the imagery can be a drain on your attention.
Here’s a thought experiment that helps me think about uploading (which I perceive as the real, observable-consequences-having issue here):
Suppose that you believed in souls (it is not that hard to get into that mindset—lots of people can do it). Also suppose that you believed in transmigration or reincarnation of souls. Finally, suppose that you believe that souls move around between bodies during the night, when people are asleep. Despite your belief in souls, you know that memories, skills, personality, goals are all located in the brain, not the soul.
Why do you go to sleep? Your consciousness will go out like a light! However, your soul will continue to exist, it will just go on to a different body. Your body has various goals and plans, that it worked on during the day, but it will get another soul tomorrow, and it’s pretty experienced at this kind of juggling, guarding its goals and plans from harm while it is unconscious, and picking up the threads when it becomes conscious again.
Now consider (destructive) teleportation. Why allow your body to be destructively scanned and reconstructed? Well, if you (your body) has the same degree of trust in the equipment that you (your body) has in the process of going to sleep at night, then the two are exactly parallel. The new body will become conscious, and pick up its threads of memory, personality, skills, goals, probably with a different soul, but bodies are used to that.
Now consider (destructive) transmutation. If the reconstructed body used silicon instead of carbon, is anything different?
As far as I can tell, Tegmark’s mathematical universe is “true” but hard to think with. You overwhelm yourself with images of bigness and variety and parallel, nearly-identical copies, but it has to add up to normality at the end. If you’re trying to do something (think about something) difficult, maintaining the imagery can be a drain on your attention.