Charles Goodwin wrote: > > Another question is what happens in cases of very violent death, e.g. beheading. >After someone's head is cut off, so they say, it > remains conscious for a few seconds (I can't see why it wouldn't). According to QTI >it experiences being decapitated but then > survives indefinitely - somehow . . . well, I'd like to hear what QTI supporters >think happens next (from the pov of the victim). > Are they magically translated into a non-decapitated version of themselves, and if >so, how? Surely it can't be in the same quantum > state that they're in? If not, do they experience indefinitely continued survival as >a severed head, or . . . what??? Just curious! > > Charles
This case bothers me too. The initial (or perhaps traditional) response is that consciousness is lost the instant blood pressure drops in the brain, a few hundred milliseconds after the neck is severed, thus the beheading is not experienced. However, there is some anecdotal evidence (eg the beheading of Lavoisier) that consciousness can survive up to 10-20 seconds after the neck is severed. Even if this is true, it still does not eliminate magical solutions, such as waking up "Matrix"-style in an alternative reality. Cheers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Russell Standish Director High Performance Computing Support Unit, Phone 9385 6967, 8308 3119 (mobile) UNSW SYDNEY 2052 Fax 9385 6965, 0425 253119 (") Australia [EMAIL PROTECTED] Room 2075, Red Centre http://parallel.hpc.unsw.edu.au/rks International prefix +612, Interstate prefix 02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------