Comments for Version 1.0 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog A Transhumanist and Futurist Blog Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:26:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Comment on The Problem of Continuity of Conciousness by angry-monk http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2009/07/21/the-problem-of-continuity-of-conciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-535 angry-monk Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:26:25 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=49#comment-535 I think the general idea was that once you have nanomachines that can replicate the network and performance of a neuron (not necessarily with the same physical structure) then these can re-arrange themselves into an analogous network in a completely different form with no loss of continuity. i.e they can "collapse" into a completely different processing substrate without changing the "state" of your mind. So once the cells are all replaced it can re-arrange itself into a more computationally dense structure that is independent of the meat sack and self powered and can simply be removed or expanded or whatever turns you on now you're running on nanomachines instead of meat. The important part is the continuity of consciousness. But you make a valid point. I probably should have been clearer on that at the end. I might edit the article. :) I think the general idea was that once you have nanomachines that can replicate the network and performance of a neuron (not necessarily with the same physical structure) then these can re-arrange themselves into an analogous network in a completely different form with no loss of continuity. i.e they can “collapse” into a completely different processing substrate without changing the “state” of your mind. So once the cells are all replaced it can re-arrange itself into a more computationally dense structure that is independent of the meat sack and self powered and can simply be removed or expanded or whatever turns you on now you’re running on nanomachines instead of meat. The important part is the continuity of consciousness. But you make a valid point. I probably should have been clearer on that at the end. I might edit the article. :)

]]> Comment on The Problem of Continuity of Conciousness by Grahame http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2009/07/21/the-problem-of-continuity-of-conciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-534 Grahame Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:19:51 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=49#comment-534 Hey It's an interesting idea but I'm not sure I understand how the procedure makes the process of 'reading out' a brain any easier. The artificial neurons are an artificially created simulacrum for a human neuron. So they are components with the same properties as natural neurons. A brain after replacement with artificial neurons will thus have the same characteristics as a brain before the process. What's changed to suddenly make it easier to read it out? I'm skeptical that artificial neurons that participate as exact simulacrums in what must be a fairly tricky electrochemical network (assuming it is purely electrochemical) can also have the ability to participate in some sort of side-network to allow reading out of structure and state. Your idea reminds me of a great Greg Egan short story 'Jewel' from the collection Axiomatic. In that story people have a device inserted into the brain that learns their neural structure and syncs up, the idea being that you can do a cut over with no perceived discontinuity. Hey

It’s an interesting idea but I’m not sure I understand how the procedure makes the process of ‘reading out’ a brain any easier. The artificial neurons are an artificially created simulacrum for a human neuron. So they are components with the same properties as natural neurons.

A brain after replacement with artificial neurons will thus have the same characteristics as a brain before the process. What’s changed to suddenly make it easier to read it out? I’m skeptical that artificial neurons that participate as exact simulacrums in what must be a fairly tricky electrochemical network (assuming it is purely electrochemical) can also have the ability to participate in some sort of side-network to allow reading out of structure and state.

Your idea reminds me of a great Greg Egan short story ‘Jewel’ from the collection Axiomatic. In that story people have a device inserted into the brain that learns their neural structure and syncs up, the idea being that you can do a cut over with no perceived discontinuity.

]]> Comment on The Problem of Continuity of Conciousness by Graham Smith http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2009/07/21/the-problem-of-continuity-of-conciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-531 Graham Smith Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:55:07 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=49#comment-531 Thankyou for this. I hve podered this question since seeing the "star trek" transporter and you have the most rational consideration of the question that I have read. To take the thought experiment one step further though, how could you objectively test consciousness continuity in a scientific manner? To the outside observer no change may be apparent, to the resulting entity with cloned memories continuity would be also be apparent. Would you volunteer for early technology knowing you could be facing destruction of consciousness even if an observer or the cloned inhabitant of your meat would not know that the original was gone? Thankyou for this. I hve podered this question since seeing the “star trek” transporter and you have the most rational consideration of the question that I have read. To take the thought experiment one step further though, how could you objectively test consciousness continuity in a scientific manner? To the outside observer no change may be apparent, to the resulting entity with cloned memories continuity would be also be apparent. Would you volunteer for early technology knowing you could be facing destruction of consciousness even if an observer or the cloned inhabitant of your meat would not know that the original was gone?

]]> Comment on “Hi there, I’m a transhumanist” by Lawrie http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2008/04/22/hi-there-im-a-transhumanist/comment-page-1/#comment-530 Lawrie Tue, 24 May 2011 04:54:38 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=11#comment-530 Hi, I'm a journalist based in Sydney doing a video story on the transhumanist movement. If you are in Sydney anytime over the next couple of weeks, could you email me so I could possibly get in touch and ask you some questions? Cheers Hi, I’m a journalist based in Sydney doing a video story on the transhumanist movement. If you are in Sydney anytime over the next couple of weeks, could you email me so I could possibly get in touch and ask you some questions?

Cheers

]]> Comment on The Problem of Continuity of Conciousness by Lawrie http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2009/07/21/the-problem-of-continuity-of-conciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-529 Lawrie Tue, 24 May 2011 04:36:05 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=49#comment-529 Hi, I'm a journalist based in Sydney doing a video story on the transhumanist movement. If you are in Sydney anytime over the next couple of weeks, could you email me so I could possibly get in touch and ask you some questions? Cheers Hi, I’m a journalist based in Sydney doing a video story on the transhumanist movement. If you are in Sydney anytime over the next couple of weeks, could you email me so I could possibly get in touch and ask you some questions?

Cheers

]]> Comment on “Hi there, I’m a transhumanist” by Giuseppe Griffiths http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2008/04/22/hi-there-im-a-transhumanist/comment-page-1/#comment-228 Giuseppe Griffiths Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:51:57 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=11#comment-228 Insightful job! I am going to take a good amout of time to toy with your info. Insightful job! I am going to take a good amout of time to toy with your info.

]]> Comment on The Problem of Continuity of Conciousness by Optimistic Cynic http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2009/07/21/the-problem-of-continuity-of-conciousness/comment-page-1/#comment-203 Optimistic Cynic Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:18:05 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=49#comment-203 I like continuity of consciousness. If my consciousness could be transferred to an artificial brain, and especially if I could be aware of both my birth and artificial brain at the same time, but then later the body is stored via cryogenics until it can be restored (while my consciousness is in an artificial brain, or voluntarily dormant, like sleep) , that seems pretty good to me. My consciousness simply moved around. Also if I'm merely revived from a cryogenic state, and my consciousness is intact...that seems a little iffy, but not too bad. It is you, but you were dormant for a while. Someone making a copy of me later seems pretty much useless to me. If you make an exact duplicate of me RIGHT NOW, and it lives on the other side of the world, and I never here of it again...how is that helping me? I don't understand people who get excited over cloning. Some woman cloned a dog and acted like they brought her dog back to life, and it knew her and it was the same dog. Ugh. If there were ten genetic duplicates of me at birth, and they all go to different, unassociated lives in different places...you just have ten different people who have nothing to do with each other, except they have the same DNA. Right? They're not me, they just have the same DNA code. I like continuity of consciousness. If my consciousness could be transferred to an artificial brain, and especially if I could be aware of both my birth and artificial brain at the same time, but then later the body is stored via cryogenics until it can be restored (while my consciousness is in an artificial brain, or voluntarily dormant, like sleep) , that seems pretty good to me.

My consciousness simply moved around.

Also if I’m merely revived from a cryogenic state, and my consciousness is intact…that seems a little iffy, but not too bad. It is you, but you were dormant for a while.

Someone making a copy of me later seems pretty much useless to me. If you make an exact duplicate of me RIGHT NOW, and it lives on the other side of the world, and I never here of it again…how is that helping me?

I don’t understand people who get excited over cloning. Some woman cloned a dog and acted like they brought her dog back to life, and it knew her and it was the same dog. Ugh.
If there were ten genetic duplicates of me at birth, and they all go to different, unassociated lives in different places…you just have ten different people who have nothing to do with each other, except they have the same DNA. Right? They’re not me, they just have the same DNA code.

]]> Comment on “Hi there, I’m a transhumanist” by trent http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2008/04/22/hi-there-im-a-transhumanist/comment-page-1/#comment-202 trent Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:11:08 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=11#comment-202 Nice. I was looking for a new tattoo idea. Nice. I was looking for a new tattoo idea.

]]> Comment on BBC – Human 2.0 : creeeeeepy! by gabriel http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2008/05/05/bbc-human-20-creeeeeepy/comment-page-1/#comment-144 gabriel Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:58:40 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=15#comment-144 here's a documentary from bbc called ''visions of the future'' It's presented by Michio Kaku and is almost entirely about stuff you've probably come across before but enjoyable all the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW1TNkQfNng&feature=related here’s a documentary from bbc called ”visions of the future”
It’s presented by Michio Kaku and is almost entirely about stuff you’ve probably come across before but enjoyable all the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW1TNkQfNng&feature=related

]]> Comment on “Hi there, I’m a transhumanist” by gabriel http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/2008/04/22/hi-there-im-a-transhumanist/comment-page-1/#comment-141 gabriel Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:46:01 +0000 http://www.angry-monk.com/transblog/?p=11#comment-141 Well i'll have a picture for you this time next week at latest. This is an excellent idea. Well i’ll have a picture for you this time next week at latest. This is an excellent idea.

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