RE: Immortality

From: Charles Goodwin <cgoodwin.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 16:37:27 +1300

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brent Meeker [mailto:meekerdb.domain.name.hidden]
> Sent: Wednesday, 10 October 2001 4:06 a.m.
>
> It was a hypothetical that Bruno used. It's pretty certain nobody knows
> how to do it now and it might never be practical. But if the
> processes, including the sensory ones, were duplicated I have
> no reason to think that it would not be conscious. The contrary
> conclusion would seem to imply vitalism and magic.

The question is more whether there *is* a level of abstraction that can be skimmed off the biological substrate. Although I suppose
it would be possible (in theory) to simulate the behaviour of all the cells in the brain to arbitrary accuracy - if necessary at the
level of molecules, or atoms (I can't see you having to go any lower than that). And leaving aside any problems with speed and
memory, at *that* point it seems unlikely that you'd be able to argue the thing wasn't conscious.

Charles
Received on Tue Oct 09 2001 - 20:34:03 PDT