From: ' ' (justin_benedict@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Mar 03 2009 - 20:28:29 MST
I don't want to die just because we are programmed to fear death, I don't want to die because I EXIST and I KNOW IT, yeah death is scary because it means I can't continue my genes or whatever non-sense people come up with (which is true, but I still consider it ridiculous). I mean life is really cool, it can get boring at times but think about how fun it can be.. chasing girls, figuring out logical puzzles and learn new math concepts, raising kittens, having a family situation, painting, learning about how everything works, playing board and computer games, watching 24, reading an engaging novel, creating something useful that helps other people and is fun to create, acting in a play or movie, eating nice food, I mean I could go on for days if I really thought hard enough why life is worth living and that there are more reasons to not want to die then just feat of death itself... I think we like to repeat intellectual sayings and statements just because it creates order and meaning in our world and because it makes us seem smarter, but come on... fuck evolution, who cares how we were created and why we act they way we do, lets just enjoy it forever (or at least indefinitely).
I know there would be no difference if I am conscious or not, but I think consciousness is a physical phenomena therefore it doesn't matter to me. I honestly believe, but can't prove, that every human being is self-aware to some degree. What we can do, instead of testing for consciousness, is figuring out what CREATES and MAINTAINS consciousness, then we will know if someone's self-awareness is continued on or not, not if they simply say, hello I am here and I remember everything.. we can simply simulate that without any understanding of personal identity and consciousness... once we understand those two issues well enough, if not perfectly, if that is ever possible... then we will know if someone's self-awareness continues on or not (in scenario X, Y or Z or, or) , not if we simply ask a physically identical person if they can remember their past or not, even if they didn't exist up until now... of course they will say that if it is in their nature to say that... that is obvious, but continuity of personhood and identity and consciousness are FAR more complicated issues then just simple logic and what if games we can play ad nauseum.
> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 18:36:11 -0800
> From: matmahoney@yahoo.com
> Subject: RE: [sl4] Re: Uploads coming first would be good, right?
> To: sl4@sl4.org
>
>
> --- On Tue, 3/3/09, ' ' <justin_benedict@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Of course there is consciousness... right?
>
> It depends on what you mean by "consciousness". How would you be different if you didn't have one?
>
> Of course it doesn't matter how you answer. Either there is a difference that others could detect, or there isn't.
>
> If there is a detectable difference, then there is no reason that we couldn't create a machine that simulates you and passes whatever test for consciousness you propose.
>
> If there is no detectable difference, then there is no sense in asking the question.
>
> I think your real question is "will I die?" which is understandable since we are programmed to fear death.
>
> -- Matt Mahoney, matmahoney@yahoo.com
>
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