Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Uploading my brain
I have been pondering a thought for some time now. There has long been a science-fiction-y concept floating around that one day we will have computers advanced enough that we could upload our brains and continue living within the computer indefinitely. I have always been of the opinion that if you upload your brain into a computer, you would be effectively making a *copy* of your consciousness. Even if during the process of uploading, your meat-brain was destroyed to create the computer consciousness, and even if the computer's thought processes were indistinguishable from your normal meat-brain thought processes, it still would not be the proper "you". Sort of like how a clone of you would not be you, but more like a twin in practice. This would be a computerized twin of your brain functions.
But this got me to thinking. The "me" that is now, is not the "me" from last year. The molecules that make up my brain are different, it's the pattern that self-identifies me as "me". And while I do not believe this lends credence to my computer "me" being the real "me" I do think it leads to an interesting situation. Consider the following:
One day I get a brain implant that would supplement my memory. This would essentially just be analogous to an external hard drive. It is a space to store my memories and recall them, effectively granting me an eidetic memory. Am I still me "me"? I would argue, yes. Now, say, over the course of years I increased the functionality of this implant. So now it can perform functions as well as store memories, but the functions it performs are a supplement to my main meat-brain thought processes. I can regulate processes such as mathematical calculations to the implant as it can perform them in a fraction of the time. Am I still me? But as I get older I start regulating more and more of my thought processes to the implant, and upgrading its abilities. At some point I would probably get too old for my physical brain to function anymore. But if my implant was robust enough it could continue processes long after my physical brain/body had passed away. Am I still "me"?
At every step my sense of self would have changed to include whatever added aspect the implant granted to me. It would effectively become part of me. So would that part of me continue to be me after my physical body dies? I would think, yes. It would not be the same "me" as I am now... but in the same sense that I am not the same "me" as I was last year.
Now, another question would be: if my consciousness was now functioning on a computer would I still have emotions without the chemistry of my brain? Something to ponder...
But this got me to thinking. The "me" that is now, is not the "me" from last year. The molecules that make up my brain are different, it's the pattern that self-identifies me as "me". And while I do not believe this lends credence to my computer "me" being the real "me" I do think it leads to an interesting situation. Consider the following:
One day I get a brain implant that would supplement my memory. This would essentially just be analogous to an external hard drive. It is a space to store my memories and recall them, effectively granting me an eidetic memory. Am I still me "me"? I would argue, yes. Now, say, over the course of years I increased the functionality of this implant. So now it can perform functions as well as store memories, but the functions it performs are a supplement to my main meat-brain thought processes. I can regulate processes such as mathematical calculations to the implant as it can perform them in a fraction of the time. Am I still me? But as I get older I start regulating more and more of my thought processes to the implant, and upgrading its abilities. At some point I would probably get too old for my physical brain to function anymore. But if my implant was robust enough it could continue processes long after my physical brain/body had passed away. Am I still "me"?
At every step my sense of self would have changed to include whatever added aspect the implant granted to me. It would effectively become part of me. So would that part of me continue to be me after my physical body dies? I would think, yes. It would not be the same "me" as I am now... but in the same sense that I am not the same "me" as I was last year.
Now, another question would be: if my consciousness was now functioning on a computer would I still have emotions without the chemistry of my brain? Something to ponder...
Monday, May 2, 2011
Casual Science
My friend over at Sci-ducation has come up with an idea for blogging about scientific research. It is a tandem approach, where each of us will read a scientific paper and write a blog-post discussing it in detail, raising questions about it, and possibilities for future research. Then the second person will try and find a paper that deals with one of those questions, if possible, and write a blog-post about that paper in much the same manner. This could go on until the topic is exhausted, or we find a better, more interesting topic.
I am all in for this endeavor! Now, to find a good starting paper...
I am all in for this endeavor! Now, to find a good starting paper...
Over-due baby
Well Felix's due date has come and gone, and yet he is still hanging out inside my wife.
It is really inconsiderate of him. Although, I was 11 days late when I was born...
*sniff* He's just like his daddy... ;-)
It is really inconsiderate of him. Although, I was 11 days late when I was born...
*sniff* He's just like his daddy... ;-)
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