On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 11:16:55AM -0800, Brent Meeker wrote:
>
> But who would say "yes" to the doctor if he said that he would take a movie of
> your brain states and project it? Or if he said he would just destroy you in
> this universe and you would continue your experiences in other branches of the
> multiverse or in platonia? Not many I think.
>
> Brent
>
Then perhaps nobody has sufficient faith in COMP!
Interestingly, I pointed out an inherent contradiction in the "Yes,
doctor" postulate a while back, which I gather you're still thinking
of a response Bruno. Lets call it the "Standish wager", after the
Pascal wager about belief in God.
If YD is true, then you must also accept the consequences, namely
COMP-immortality. In which case you may as well say "no" to the
doctor, as COMP-immortality guarantees that you will survive the terminal
brain disease that brought you to the doctor in the first place.
Of course, in reality, it may be a very different choice being
presented. Perhaps Vinge's Singularity happens, and one is given the
choice between uploading into the hive mind, or being put to death on
the spot to conserve resources. Or more modestly, one is being given a
choice of whether to have a direct internet connection implanted in
your skull. In each of these cases, one should make the choice based
on whether the new configuration offers a better life over your
existing one, or not. Survival prospects really shouldn't enter into
it. In the event YD is false, you will then not be any worse off than
you were before.
BTW - I watched the Prestige on the weekend. Good recommendation,
Bruno! My wife enjoyed it greatly too, and wants to watch it again
sometime. I can't get her to read my book, though :(
Cheers
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Mathematics
UNSW SYDNEY 2052 hpcoder.domain.name.hidden
Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au
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Received on Tue Nov 25 2008 - 18:20:07 PST