On 27/02/2008, John G. Rose <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Well if you spend some time theorizing a model of a brain digitizer that > operates within known physics constraints it's not an easy task getting just > the molecular and atomic digital data. You have to sample over a period of > time and space using photons and particle beams. This in itself interferes > with the sample. Then say this sample is reconstructed within a theoretically > capable computer, the computer will most likely have to operate in slow time > to simulate the physics of all the atoms and molecules as the computer is > itself constrained by the speed of light. I'm going this route because I > don't think that it is possible to get an instantaneous reading of all the > atoms in a brain, you have to reconstruct over time and space. THEN, this is > ignoring the subatomic properties and forget about quantum data sample > digitization I think it is impossible to get an exact copy. > > So this leaves you with a reconstructed approximation. Exactly how much of > this would be you is unknown because any subatomic and quantum properties of > you are - started from scratch - this includes any macroscopic and > environmental properties of subatomic and quantum and superatomic molecular > state and positioning effects. And if the whole atomic level model is started > from scratch in the simulator it could disintegrate or diverge as it is all > forced fit together. Your copy is an approximation of which it is unknown how > close it is actually of you or if you could be even put together accurately > enough in the simulator.
There are some who think that all you need to simulate a brain (and effectively copy a person) is to fix it, slice it up, and examine it under a microscope to determine the synaptic structure. This is almost certainly way too crude: consider the huge difference to cognition made by small molecules in tiny concentrations, such as LSD, which do no more than slightly alter the conformation of certain receptor proteins on neurons by binding to them non-covalently. On the other hand, it is equally implausible to suppose that you have to get it right down to the subatomic level, since otherwise cosmic rays or changing the isotope composition of the brain would have a major effect, and they clearly don't. -- Stathis Papaioannou ------------------------------------------- singularity Archives: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/11983/=now RSS Feed: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/11983/ Modify Your Subscription: http://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=4007604&id_secret=96140713-a54b2b Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
