From: Martin Striz (mstriz@gmail.com)
Date: Mon Oct 31 2005 - 14:43:51 MST
On 10/29/05, Heartland <velvethum@hotmail.com> wrote:
> In general terms, human life is a mind-producing activity of matter in
> space-time. It follows that in order for uploading to preserve life the
> procedure must be performed in a way that preserves mind-producing
> *activity* of matter (and not just brain structure).
Yes, I think I recognized the necessity of this when I discussed
maintaining the synchronicity of dispersed brain modules that
contribute to consciousness.
> The threshold in this case isn't the preserved percentage of the original
> brain structure but whether the whole system comprised of old and new
> substrate lost, at any point, the potential to generate single
> mind-producing activity of matter in space-time. In the first case, the
> system lost that potential (died) while, in the second case, that potential
> existed at all times during the transfer.
Interestingly, we lose a great deal of neural activity nuring NREM
sleep -- a period of time when we also lack consciousness. According
to your premise, we would be a new consciousness each day, because we
lose single-consciosness-activity every night (or during anesthesia,
coma, etc.). Clearly, I think that I am the same, continuous
consciousness as I was yesterday and the day before, so I don't think
that's an especially relevant criterion.
There are also cases where individuals experience some kind of trauma
to the brain and lose function in a certain area, but regain some of
that function in another area. They were, for a time, at less than
the activity of their full, original consciousness, however I would
hardly say that they are a new consciousness. So, in my mind, the
question still remains.
Martin
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