The Digitization of Consciousness

[Original Poster]

With technology ever shrinking the gap between the organic and synthetic, we are reaching a brink capable of providing answers to fundamental questions regarding consciousness, and we are crossing the precipice into a certain form of immortality. What do you think would change about the way you view both reality and your identity if you knew you were just a copy of someone that decided to back up their persona at one time? Would you still consider yourself that person? Would you consider those memories to be yours? If your own range of experience could see the rise and fall of nations and religions, rendering the ever important swing of the pendulum of power as relevant as a tide, how would it change your values? What pursuits would motivate you? How would you spend existence? What would words like victory mean? What would vendettas and revenge mean? Would you consider suicide at any time that you can foresee? Would your views on suicide change? Would you ever choose to wipe your memory and start fresh? Would you place importance on the difference between wiping your memory and committing suicide? Feel free to pick and choose what you want to answer I'm just getting a conversation started. My opinion is that if immortality actually occurred then every motive people use to grasp for it would disintegrate, including self-importance and fear of disappearing.

[splodeymissile]

What do you think would change about the way you view both reality and your identity if you knew you were just a copy of someone that decided to back up their persona at one time? I'd probably consider myself an Independence being with similarities to someone else. The nature of my "birth" does not determine who I am. Would you still consider yourself that person? No, for the reasons above. Would you consider those memories to be yours? Only in the loosest sense that they exist in my mind. I doubt I could tell the difference between what I experienced and what my original experienced. If your own range of experience could see the rise and fall of nations and religions, rendering the ever important swing of the pendulum of power as relevant as a tide, how would it change your values? I've never held strong religious beliefs and immortality won't change that. I think I'd strive to control this rise and fall and lead humanity to as good a future as possible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, though... What pursuits would motivate you? See above, but add a general drive to perfect myself (even if my ideas of perfection are ultimately flawed). If I somehow achieve this, help others to do the same. How would you spend existence? Giving that my time could be potentially infinite in this scenario, a lot of enjoyment and pleasure. What would words like victory mean? Something already achieved. What would vendettas and revenge mean? Absolutely nothing. Would you consider suicide at any time that you can foresee? Once everything that can be accomplished has been accomplished, yes. There would only be one left to do at that point. Would your views on suicide change? Almost certainly. Would you ever choose to wipe your memory and start fresh? Maybe, though I wouldn't be me without my memory and, quite frankly, I like being me. Still, it would be one thing left to do, before my self-caused end. Would you place importance on the difference between wiping your memory and committing suicide? Given a finite lifespan, wiping my mind would be preferable, though I wouldn't be happy with either. On the scale of infinite, I'd wipe my mind first, experience life again, maybe regain my memory somehow and then die. All this would take a long time and there's always the possibility of me finding something that never gets dull. Feel free to pick and choose what you want to answer I'm just getting a conversation started. My opinion is that if immortality actually occurred then every motive people use to grasp for it would disintegrate, including self-importance and fear of disappearing. For the majority, almost certainly. A few (like me, hopefully), would be able to do something worthwhile.

[Original Poster]

For the majority, almost certainly. A few (like me, hopefully), would be able to do something worthwhile. Thanks, I needed a good laugh.