Do you want to be Transhuman?

Ah. Thank you. Now your concerns make sense. I still don't see that as entirely negative. Not entirely positive either. I have no real opinion on it at the moment.

You sleep, don't you?

I don't see how this is relevant, but... yes?

@ post #49: It's a bit non-sensical, I'm sorry to say. I don't loose bits and parts of my personality by getting a haircut, do I? Amputees are not loosing memories due to the loss of a limb. Why would "whole body transplants"*

edited 25th Mar '11 11:25:30 AM by GreatLich

Then you're consciousness isn't that continuous in the first place, is it?

Yes it is, you remember dreams and you're the same mind when you wake up.

Whereas if, for example, you got your brain scanned into a computer and then died at a later date you are not going to wake up as the mind that is in the computer.

Yeah, that.

Because Lich, a hair cut still leaves the majority of "You" in tact. A change in clothes doesn't change the body underneath. You'll still be largely recognizable and still have all that came before attached to you. A full body swap allows you pick an entirely new identity of sorts, a new game. This is why many people have alternate persona on the internet, it's because they are, essentially, someone entirely different while online. It leaves room for going a little crazy with the options available.

Yes you are. You'll wake up in the computer, except you'll think you only just uploaded yourself, and will be slightly confused as to where the time went. (Of course, you'll realize what happened if you specifically set it up.)

So we shouldn't allow transhumanism because Real Life is just a facade?

edited 25th Mar '11 11:31:11 AM by Yej

You're going to have to explain that one to me, Yej.

No, a clone of your mind will wake up, not you. That clone will think it is you but it is not continuous with you.

@Yej

Once again, no, because even your alternate persona can still get shot in real life by the police for going insane. No, it's just that you're keeping yourself from evolving into who you really are, a sort of unique individual from the rest of society. Think about body fashions and how easily that stuff can go in and out, with so many clones walking around and acting exactly the same.

edited 25th Mar '11 11:33:19 AM by Usht

The fact that it's not continuous with you doesn't mean it's not "you" for any meaningful sense of the term. They will still have your wants, desires, fears, and personality.

You can't discard your personality or experience by swapping bodies. You'll keep "evolving", it just won't be visible to anyone except you.

edited 25th Mar '11 11:36:46 AM by Yej

You know how it is said that your skeletal system 'replaces' itself every seven years or so? You do not have the same body you were born with (or in, perhaps); how do you deal with that?

Which is meaningless (to me) if I'm not walking around as said clone.

edited 25th Mar '11 11:46:42 AM by Wicked223

Two prong discussion time:

• No, it won't be me. It'll be some alternate me. The me that died, or the current me, won't be anymore and that's just weird.
• No, they can't discards their entire personality or experience with a switch, but they can easily become someone else instead of being who they truly are.

Lich, no, that's completely missing the point. That doesn't happen in a manner that's so drastic as to make you look in the mirror and see someone totally different within the day, therefore it has little to no bearing on who you who think you are.

edited 25th Mar '11 11:39:06 AM by Usht

The only suggestion that I'd be opposed to so far would be HiveMind, I like being an individual too much. Brain Upload might be problematic, but seems like it has lots of workarounds that can let you maintain your personality.

@Usht: So wait, if I become a transhuman, I'll be able to completely change my personality to suit my own needs?

Bah, let's use a modern example. Let's say you managed to get a nice wig, a make up set to completely change your skin tone, facial structure, some new clothes, and for the sake of discussion, make you look like the opposite gender. What would you do with that stuff?

Be the me that is the opposite gender that I've always wanted to be?

Not to the extent that you describe, but I have a straight cross-dressing friend. He mostly does standup.

There is no "constant you" that is a static fixed thing. You are changing every second of your life. Your impression of a continuous consciousness is a function of memory, which would presumably remain intact if transferred to a different body. You cannot ever be anything other than you, at any given moment. Discussing the continuity of "you" in this context is merely a matter of degree.

I would say that, given the choice between my selfdom slowly decaying into senility and/or simply ceasing to exist when my heart stops pumping, I would choose any continuation of that selfdom that might present itself, and leave the question of whether it's really "me" to the philosophers.

@Aondeug: But then what of the stuff that happened before. Did any of things you did as your original gender mean anything? Would you still be yourself or would you be a caricature of your perception of the opposite gender?

edited 25th Mar '11 11:45:38 AM by Usht

Late to the party, but I'd like to join the crowd looking forward to transhumanism here. Though I'm also going to take a more radical stance by saying that I wouldn't mind if emotions were cut out in the process. Frankly speaking, I'm not sure what the benefits of human emotions are - they confuse logical thought, and hinder our progress of knowledge. I guess I'm just focused on technological and scientific advancement; so anything that advances the process without overly dramatic losses is good with me.

Yes the things my other self had done would still have meaning. I want to be both, switching between the two when I feel it is appropriate. I would be myself. Just a different self.

edited 25th Mar '11 11:47:03 AM by Aondeug