Re: [sl4] Uploading (was : goals of AI)

From: John McNamara (harlequin@novastar.org)
Date: Wed Dec 02 2009 - 04:41:13 MST


On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 19:27, Johnicholas Hines
<johnicholas.hines@gmail.com> wrote:
> Suppose that (unbeknownst to all of us), we are routinely duplicated
> and one copy is destroyed - some unknown physical process that has
> been operating for a long time.

this happens, in a way, with continuous cellular replacement of most
of the body.
I've gotten used too it so I no longer consider it an interruption of continuity
the fact that it is piecemeal reinforces this

i got used to sleep long before i could think of it as an interruption
of continuity
remembering dreams may help

if a scientist proved the entire universe was destroyed and recreated
every Planck time I doubt it would bother me from a continuity pov as
it's so far removed from my macro view of reality. But perhaps a very
far future me would be horrified by the universe working like that and
try to fix it like we would fixed a skipping record ?

i think the devil is in the details for continuity-breaking scenarios

> Do you have any desire to change the situation, to eliminate this
> duplication-and-destruction? How much desire - what would you give up
> in order obtain "continuity" (whatever that means)? If continuity was
> actually very preferable to "duplication-and-destruction", then you
> would have some intuition that you would be willing to give up
> something in order to obtain continuity.

from some perspectives "duplication-and-destruction" and "continuity
upload" are not alternatives approaches to the same objective. That
would make value comparisons pointless.
rename them to
"child creation and self-destruction"
and
"buying a long series of body upgrades"
for a total different perspective

>
> I personally experience almost no desire to eliminate this physical
> phenomenon, which leads me to believe that my gut reaction against
> duplication-and-destruction is actually irrational, and explainable in
> terms of the status quo bias, and maybe an aversion to violence or
> suicide.
>
> Johnicholas

excellent point
For me, the danger of a bias is not the bias itself but blindly
allowing it's influence to trick oneself into making logical
fallacies.

we wont all have the same detailed objectives for "uploading myself"
for some maintaining continuity will be a key detail in that objective
for others it will be the opposite
others may have requirements none of us have yet imagined.

not much point doing an upload if the uploaded you afterward is going
to be unhappy with the situation. It will have to be tailored to the
individual personality to some degree.

Best Regards
John Mc Namara



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