Re: [sl4] Uploading

From: John K Clark (johnkclark@fastmail.fm)
Date: Tue Dec 01 2009 - 22:11:32 MST


On Wed, 2 Dec 2009 "John McNamara" <harlequin@novastar.org> said:

> Were a type 1 upload made of me involuntarily (I would not permit it)
> and I survived, I would consider them to be a sort of weird off-spring
> or distant relation.

As usual in these thought experiments you assume you are the original,
but you must realize that both parties after the duplication would think
they are the original and you would need EXTREMELY good evidence to
convince one of them that they were wrong. And even then many just
wouldn't believe it no matter what.

> I would not consider them as having any property
> rights over any of my physical or informational assets.

You would think that regardless if you were the original or the copy,
you would both think you have exclusive rights to John McNamara's
assets, and both would have an equally valid claim; after all you both
vividly remember buying them and you both remember earning the money to
do so.

> I would be of the opinion that there should be legal societal rules to
> handle such an awkward situation.

So the scientific method cannot detect any difference between the two
but nevertheless you think there should be laws that treat the two
differently. Sounds rather like South Africa under apartheid.

> If a friend had an upload made and they didn't survive, I would
> consider my friend dead, mourn them and probably avoid the upload to
> preserve my own mental health.

Well of course you would. As I said before most people, even most people
on transhuman lists, believe in the soul. I don't.

 John K Clark

-- 
  John K Clark
  johnkclark@fastmail.fm
-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - IMAP accessible web-mail


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