In Russell’s book there is a section on “Arguments against QTI” And I want to put forward some issues arising from this.
It seems that (if MWI is true) we live in world(s) in which we appear to live a finite, small lifetime of around 70 years. From the many discussions on this list, it also seems to me that, this is the single biggest argument (that I can understand) which points to the QTI being false. Unfortunately it appears that the whole ASSA/RSSA debate - which might have been a candidate for clarifying the issue - turns out to be a confusing (to me anyway) and polarising approach. So is QTI false? Russell does put forward a possible solution in his book. He suggests the idea that as memory fades with dementia then perhaps the conscious mind becomes so similar to that of a newborn - or even unborn - baby that perhaps “a diminishing?” consciousness always finds an appropriate route (in some branch) to avoid a cul de sac event. (This is one possible form of the No Cul De Sac Conjecture =NCDSC) To avoid the cul de sac event, there would surely have to be a critical stage whereby consciousness diminishes and reaches a form of cusp at the point of lapsing into non existence and thereby requiring the necessity of an extension route or branch to another consistent universe. In short, from the third person POV, the person dies but from the first person -(now primitive) consciousness – state, there is rebirth. I am thinking that before we get to the croaking Amoeba there is a discontinuity in what we understand as consciousness – at least the form that applies to the NCDSC. Now if all this were to be the case, then maybe it says something very specific about the substrate on which consciousness runs. There would be something special about the architecture which the substrate employs to implement consciousness because it relies on a certain mode of decay, facilitating the branching to a new born baby having an appropriate structure (portal?) to secure a consistent extension of the consciousness into another branch. Unless a computer could simulate such a special substrate then it could not be used to implement consciousness. This would mean that it would be wise to say no to the Doctor! – Comp might be false? The Turing principle (p135 of David Deutsch’s book – “the Fabric of Reality”) would imply that, a universal machine could simulate the physical structure of brains in such a way so as to be able to act as a medium whereby, if the above argument is possible, consistent extensions of conscious physical observers (persons) could avoid cul de sacs. But until we can understand the nature of what consciousness is, we are stumped as to how a computer can be programmed to implement it. However some alien civilizations may have known these techniques for ages now, thereby perhaps explaining why we each have lived even as long as we now perceive we have. A stronger statement would be that if universal virtual reality generators are physically possible, then they must be built somewhere in some universes! But supposing the above (reincarnational) speculation was false in some way. In that case, I have yet to see a convincing argument as to how the the no cul de sac conjecture can be reconciled with people living to great ages. Whatever sampling assumption is applied, the facts are that we don’t typically see people reaching ages greater than 100+ yrs). Therefore either QTI is false or people just don’t get old! Rather, the special physical conditions of death associated with dementia or oxygen starvation of the brain, facilitate continued extensions of consciousness by branching into worlds where we supervene over new born babies (or something – animals, aliens?) - accidental deaths of people of any “normal ages” we can think about could of course be accommodated by the NCDSC). The mechanics of such reincarnational transitions would be interesting to speculate about since I see this as the only way out for a QTI. Nick Prince -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
