--- Stathis Papaioannou <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 11/09/2007, Matt Mahoney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > No, you are thinking in the present, where there can be only one copy > of a > > > > brain. When technology for uploading exists, you have a 100% chance > of > > > > becoming the original and a 100% chance of becoming the copy. > > > > > > It's the same in no collapse interpretations of quantum mechanics. > > > There is a 100% chance that a copy of you will see the atom decay and > > > a 100% chance that a copy of you will not see the atom decay. However, > > > experiment shows that there is only a 50% chance of seeing the atom > > > decay, because the multiple copies of you don't share their > > > experiences. The MWI gives the same probabilistic results as the CI > > > for any observer. > > > > The analogy to the multi-universe view of quantum mechanics is not valid. > In > > the multi-universe view, there are two parallel universes both before and > > after the split, and they do not communicate at any time. When you copy a > > brain, there is one copy before and two afterwards. Those two brains can > then > > communicate with each other. > > I think the usual explanation is that the "split" doubles the number > of universes and the number of copies of a brain. It wouldn't make any > difference if tomorrow we discovered a method of communicating with > the parallel universes: you would see the other copies of you who have > or haven't observed the atom decay but subjectively you still have a > 50% chance of finding yourself in one or other situation if you can > only have the experiences of one entity at a time.
If this is true, then it undermines an argument for uploading. Some assume that if you destructively upload, then you have a 100% chance of being the copy. But what if the original is killed not immediately, but one second later? These problems go away if you don't assume consciousness exists. Then the question is, if I encounter someone that claims to be you, what is the probability that I encountered your copy? -- Matt Mahoney, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to: http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=4007604&id_secret=41355369-478574
