On 7/16/06, Nicholas Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Who is the I that has my brain? Is "I" a proper loop?
Tangentally, this question is part of the reason I am very disturbed by the concept of the "singularity"--the point in history when the mind/brain can be downloaded/backed-up, then later restored/uploaded into, for example, a clone--thus creating practical immortality. I don't believe that the being that results, while itself thinking that it is the same "I" as me, will be. It can't be, as a dicontinuity has occured--"I" might even have lived a while after the "copy" was stored. So, even though my thoughts might go on, and something that thinks it's me goes on as if it was me, the truth is that "I"--the me that is behind my eyes-- is dead. E.g.: "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" by Cory Doctorow Now available for free download: http://www.craphound.com/down/download.php ~~James _____________________ http://www.turtlezero.com ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
