Immortality. Fact or Fiction?

[FluffyMcDeath]

I heard of a nice little thought experiment which concerned the idea of artificial intelligence, can machines think, what is consciousness, etc, and also immortality of the mind.

So, how about, you get a small computer to take over the job of a set of neurons that are about to kick the bucket. You hook up your computer to all the little synapses that the old cells were talking to and you start the simulation. Can you tell the difference?

If not, repeat. Over many iterations, your brain should be completely replaced with computers, all without you even noticing so there is a continuity of consciousness. Now you are immortal (until the power cuts out). Your bits can be replaced indefinately.

Of course, it would be a pretty intellectual existance, unless someone can create an artificial twanger that can be plucked with as harmoniously as a natural one.

[FluffyMcDeath]

T_Bone wrote:

Think of the features you could add, why not have "save states" for emotions? I wonder if wives would get mad if instead of calling "God" or her name, if we yelled "Record!!!"  :lol:

He he. I'd put that in my playlist.

(Which leads to the idea of a p2p network for experiences)

[FluffyMcDeath]

iamaboringperson wrote:

A different entity would take over, and you wouldn't know.

You could say the same thing about baby iamaboringperson, or 10 yr old iamaboringperson. Those entities are now dead and non of the atoms that made them up remain in the new entity that calls itself iamaboringperson, an new entity that just thinks it was, once, those other entities.

[FluffyMcDeath]

Dandy wrote:

What makes you so sure that there is no soul?

[...] you should take into account that you can't see or touch music eigther - nevertheless it exists!

Music is audible, quantifiable, notatable, mathematically describable and is a phenomenon that is trivially replicable. What actually constitutes "music" is a matter of opinion.

The "soul" is only the last of the things above, i.e. a matter of opinion.

"Soul music" does not constitute proof of the soul by induction from proof of music.