Uploading your conciousness into a computer
 

hxxp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/20/1026898931815.html

US report foretells of brave new world

By Nathan Cochrane
July 23 2002
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A draft government report says we will alter human evolution within 20 years by combining what we know of nanotechnology, biotechnology, IT and cognitive sciences. The 405-page report sponsored by the US National Science Foundation and Commerce Department, Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance, calls for a broad-based research program to improve human performance leading to telepathy, machine-to-human communication, amplified personal sensory devices and enhanced intellectual capacity.

People may download their consciousnesses into computers or other bodies even on the other side of the solar system, or participate in a giant "hive mind", a network of intelligences connected through ultra-fast communications networks. "With knowledge no longer encapsulated in individuals, the distinction between individuals and the entirety of humanity would blur," the report says. "Think Vulcan mind-meld. We would perhaps become more of a hive mind - an enormous, single, intelligent entity."

Armies may one day be fielded by machines that think for themselves while devices will respond to soldiers' commands before their thoughts are fully formed, it says. The report says the abilities are within our grasp but will require an intense public-relations effort to "prepare key organisations and societal activities for the changes made possible by converging technologies", and to counter concern over "ethical, legal and moral" issues. Education should be overhauled down to the primary-school level to bridge curriculum gaps between disparate subject areas.

Professional societies should be open to practitioners from other fields, it says. "The success of this convergent-technologies priority area is crucial to the future of humanity," the report says. hxxp://wtec.org/ConvergingTechnologies/Report/NBIC-pre-publication.pdf







Now I have thought about this kind of technology, being able to move your conciousness into a computer. And I think one interesting point hasn't been discussed. What about the human soul? Of course this assumes that humans have a soul, and it isnt just a humans conciousness. But how does that fit into the equation? Would it even be worth living in a computer if your sould was lost forever?

Well unless you delete the original consciousness from the brain, you would actually just be making a copy. So, everything about "you" stays the same. I would think it would be more like making a "clone" of you consciousness and placing it in a machine.

Now, if they manage to place your consciousness in another physical human body....and that process somehow causes your original body/mind to no longer work, then I guess your "soul" (if it exsists, along with any karma points) probably would be considered transfered over. Or maybe it just gets deleted.

Personally, I'm very excited about this. It's clearly the key to immortality.

Probably only take like 32k for most people on this board.

Presuming that the actions of the "duplicate consciousness" had no impact on the eventual disposition of the soul; i.e. that the two were (theoretically) separated, that the "original" consciousness either remained attached to the soul or, alternately, was "dead" (for all intents & purposes), then yeah, I'd say the "duplicate"/"replicate" consciousness would have a blast.

for the sake of argument though, lets presume that you would be leaving your body behind, and becoming totally digital.

Interesting that you assume it's a digital conversion. I think, on some level, it would have to be analog (granted I'm not a quantum physicist).

So we're talking transferrence instead of duplication? In that scenario, I'm pretty neutral on the idea really. It would really get into the specifics for me at that point. I mean, consciousness without the ability to take action seems like a real drag. Provide a mechanism for some conscious action (i.e. I'm not just a flash drive that can be accessed by those still in their physical form) and I could be interested. Minus that though ... eh.

It really sounds like a bad star trek movie... oh wait.

I already wrote this novel, I think. (Well, me and a few dozen hundred others by now. :) )

I guess thats where we have no idea what would happen. Would it just be static data? or could you use the computer to think?

If it were static I don't think it could be termed 'consciousness.' That would just be like a complicated MRI.

So is that like 1200 or just cool sci-fi talk?

That's a guesstimate. :)

Charlie Stross & Cory Doctorow are probably the top post-Singularity novelists in the field at the moment (along with Vernor Vinge, of course), but the idea isn't original with any of them. Nanotech just gives us new language for explaining how it might work and what sorts of consequences it would entail.

If you're interested in my take on it, PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send you secure link where you can download my novel. I haven't sold this one yet, so I can't just post it for easy access.

The really scary thing would be when authorities discovered how to modify the copy and overwrite the original. Of course, only for criminals and terrorists ......... :)

Does sound interesting, and I have no doubt others will take you up on that, but reading is my Lynn Swann nerd.

That sounds like a bad sci-fi movie. Oh wait...

That article is soooo old... :)

If that were possible wouldn't that pretty much be proof that there is no soul? I mean, if you're able to completely replicate consciousness in a computer, you've pretty much demonstrated that there is nothing sacred about it and we're just well-designed, complicated machines.

There's enough stupid people on the planet already. Do we really need to be cloning them?

I dont think the two go hand in hand. What if there is a soul? and you cant take it with you? If that is the case, what would the experience be like if you didnt have a soul. Maybe this is just a bigger question here, but what does your soul do for you?

I agree. Consciousness does not necessarily equate with soul.

Ghost in the Shell plays around with this all the time, both in the movies and the series

SI

This already happens to law students during exams.