Re: Memory erasure

From: Saibal Mitra <smitra.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 02:20:23 +0200

----- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
Van: ""Hal Finney"" <hal.domain.name.hidden>
Aan: <Fabric-of-Reality.domain.name.hidden>; <smitra.domain.name.hidden.nl>
CC: <everything-list.domain.name.hidden>
Verzonden: Sunday, May 01, 2005 07:30 PM
Onderwerp: Re: Memory erasure


> You can turn this whole chain of logic around and make it an argument
> against QS. Sleep proves that loss of consciousness is possible,
> and that memory erasure is possible. Imagine memory erasure becoming
> so complete that it erases your entire life. Is that possible? If so,
> isn't it essentially the same as suicide? Or if it's not possible, where
> is the dividing line between the amount of memory erasure that is and
> is not possible?

Complete memory erasure is probably the same as suicide. You can imagine
deleting almost all of your memory, storing it on some machine. Before the
procedure you leave a note to yourself explaining how to retrieve your
memory.

When you read the note, you are identical to all your versions who have
decided to do the same thing. If you then load the data back in your memory
you could thus end up in any of these branches in which you decided to do
this.


Perhaps this happens all the time to us when we forget something and then
later remember it or look it up...


Saibal
Received on Sun May 01 2005 - 20:21:54 PDT