Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by kiba 1645 days ago
I wouldn't push the upload button unless it is a last resort.

It's a philosophy problem about consciousness and continuity more than anything else. Call it the star trek teleporter problem.

3 comments

It really depends on how the hypothetical upload process works.

Scan and replicate? Heck no. That's just death, with the creation of a new consciousness that behaves exactly like the original, while not being the original.

It would require mature nanotechnology, but it might be possible to transition a whole brain neuron-by-neuron into a simulated space, while proxying existing connectivity between the original not-yet-transferred neurons and newly transferred simulated neurons.

Our brains already experience continuous physical drift while maintaining a continued sense of self. So the gradual, online, ship of Theseus approach might work for uploading as well.

Ultimately I don't think it will be provable as to what is actually required for a non-destructive transfer of consciousness, as a copied consciousness will still perceive itself to be the original.

Permutation City is a great exploration of this idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permutation_City

Gradual replacement uploads would retain continuity of consciousness