On Fri, Jan 18, 2013 at 8:23 AM, Craig Weinberg <[email protected]> wrote:
>> There are those who believe that the very atoms are necessary in order to >> preserve a consciousness: making an arbitrarily close copy won't do. From >> what you have said before, this is what you think, but it goes against any >> widely accepted biological or physical scientific theory. > > > Since there is no widely accepted biological or physical scientific theory > of what consciousness is, that doesn't bother me very much. The assumption by scientists is that consciousness is caused by the brain, and if brain function doesn't change, consciousness doesn't change either. So swapping out atoms in the brain for different atoms of the same kind leaves brain function unchanged and therefore leaves consciousness unchanged also. Also, swapping out atoms in the brain for different atoms of a different but related type, such as a different isotope, leaves brain function unchanged and leaves consciousness unchanged. This is because the brain works using chemical rather than nuclear reactions. It is an assumption but it is consistent with every observation ever made. -- Stathis Papaioannou -- 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.
