Would you download your consciousness if you could?
 

I recently finished a book about computers and artificial intelligence, and one of the interesting predictions they made in it was that one day we would be able to download(or maybe copy would be a better word for it) our consciousness into a computer. This is counting on 2 technological developments which haven't been invented yet, the computer which could contain consciousness and robots which could operate with these computers in them. Another important piece of technology they're predicting is advanced robots which you could download your consciousness into or even just connect to which could travel and go places for you. Imagine being able to remotely view a place like Hawaii in a robot which could send you enough sensory data to almost seem like you were there, without having to pay or take the time to travel there.:hobbyhors
The book focused mainly on people who had terminal illnesses and wanted to continue existing. If the process worked like they described it, your consciousness could continue to exist after your body was dead. Theoretically your consciousness could be immortal like that. I find the idea fascinating, and would probably be willing to try it for a few hundred years at least. You could read all the books you had ever thought about reading, and possibly even travel all over the world with robots and distant connections.
If you found out you had a terminal disease and the option to download your consciousness was offered, would you try it? I think it's an interesting philosophical question.

Nope. When I die I'll be with God.

Me too, Daddyof4. I probably wouldn't be able to figure out how to download the darn thing anyway or my connection would be too slow. I think when it is all over here, I'm just gonna call it a day!

Aren't you already with him?
I've already discussed the idea with other people, and some of the religious ones have said the same thing, while others who believe in the same religions have said that maybe the downloading idea comes from their god, too. Sort of reminds me about the joke where the person who believes in a god drowns in a flood, and when they get to their reward they ask why they were allowed to drown. The response: We sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue you.:baby04:

Well, when I die and am with God, I'll be seeing things undreamt of, unimagined, in our world. I'll be seeing things that I never could see with these mortal eyes. Imagine experiencing eternity--firsthand, not remotely or vicariously via a machine.

No thankee, I will shuffle off my mortal coil when my time comes, because what lies beyond is INFINITELY more fascinating than anything a computer or robot could have to offer.

ETA yes, I believe the Lord is with me every minute of every day, and I see His hand in the world around me from the tiniest things to the greatest. But I still want to be in His presence, and to learn everything He has to reveal to me. I believe that nothing on earth will compare to that.

No, I wouldn't consider trying something like that. I'd be worried about somebody else hacking into my consciousness against my will if it was downloaded into some machine. I don't discount the possibility of it though, and I don't discount the possibility that consciousness can already choose to go where it wants to when it leaves the body. I think that's what some kinds of ghosts are when they inhabit a place, that they're a dead person's consciousness and the consciousness chose to remain there instead of moving on. So what's to stop a person's consciousness becoming a ghost that inhabits a machine? I think some machines are already inhabited, especially some computers. :grin:

Our conscience will never leave our body,until the instant we die,then it instantly goes to our eternal home.

Our conscience sure will exist after we are dead,and forever,,but it will exist in one of two places.

If you have accepted Jesus as savour,Heaven will be its eternal home,if you didn't ,sadly it will be Hell.

Which I'm sure those that went to hell will wish they could be in a computer here on earth where its cool, and every now and then taking a coffee or soda shower, and hearing the computers operator,cussing like no bodies business,so bad, if they don't repent soon, they will be in hell too.:grit:

No. My conciousness will will die when I do because I do not fear death or have concern of what happens after my time is over as I have already passed on my influence to the generation following me to live through their own time.

No, not into a computer. But when they start growing spare body parts from one's own tissue, hearts, lungs, etc. I will be willing to replace some worn out ones ;)

Nope, not interested

Yes. In heart beat. The Movie Surrogates (just watched it saturday) is about that very thing.

Heck give me a few different robots to inhabbit. Combat models, stealth models etc etc.

In a way I am with him but technically in this body God is here with ME. In fact His Holy Spirit dwells within me. The difference is when I die I will go to be with HIM in a new incorruptible body where he prepared a place. And the Bible says we all will die eventually so IMO your theory is a moot point.

I believe our self-awareness doesn't come from the sum of our parts/chemicals, I believe it comes from our soul which God put within us. Therefore I don't believe that man can "create" nor "transfer" our souls.

Well said!

How egotistical to think that your thoughts are so important that everything needs to be remembered.

That's a new idea to me. I've never heard anybody say they would download because their thoughts "need to be remembered". If I did it, I would do it because there are still things I want to do here, and I would always have the option to delete my consciousness if I felt ready to do it. Just because somebody downloaded wouldn't necessarily mean they were planning to try to be immortal. Maybe people would only want a few hundred more years of experiences.:icecream:

It is way better that my TRUE thoughts not be known.. MOSTLY by YOU

Why would I send the robot to Hawaii?? I'll send him to WORK, and I'LL go to Hawaii!!

This I can certainly agree with!

Certainly, in a heartbeat -- as long as its not running Windows Vista.

I would definitely download my brain. You may not think it is important enough to reposit all of my knowledge and feelings, but I could sure enjoy a few hundred extra years on earth as my puny human body feeds the daisies. THere may be a few ummmm apps that I hope they have in this type existance... Taste and feel would be nice for sure! And, there are those apps that I would want again... Bring on the she-bots! lol

One problem: You'd be in Heaven/Hell, so the downloaded part of you would just be an imitation of who you were.

Not everyone has that belief.

Maybe . . .Maybe not.

Either way, I'd let the imitation make the decision as to how much it /I wanted to live once my frail human body was long long long in the dusty ground.

You wouldn't need to send anything(nothing physical, anyway) anywhere. You could connect your consciousness to a robot in Hawaii and remotely visit there without having to do any actual traveling. As for work, they'd already have robots there doing the work.:p
I had to laugh at some of the predictions they have in the book, though. One of the guys the author interviewed predicted that by the year 2000(book was published in 1985) we'd probably have the first test case in the courts where a human wanted to marry a robot. I guess they thought the giant leap in technology was just around the corner back then, but it doesn't look like they've quite made it yet.

Not quite. The downloaded "part" of you would consider itself you, but it wouldn't be the same you. It would be you up to the point where you downloaded. From that point forward, it would begin experiencing different things. Kind of makes my head spin sometimes trying to think of how complicated it could get. Once you download, the consciousness actually becomes a separate individual, and could(in the future) demand all the rights any individual has.:shocked:

I think I remember this--- WE ARE BORG!

Yes, I'd be willing.

No, because when I die I will wake up in Heaven. This world has nothing that can compare to that, so why would I want to stick around, especially stuck in some computer program?

There are lots of options as to how this might work.

As far as progress: A rat's thought process has now been captured by computer and it does react properly. It's all a matter of mapping and speed now.

As for that prediction in that book, don't laugh. There have been multiple marriages between humans and a computer generated avatar now. While not based on real people, they are computer generated so already we're going there. (japan wouldn't you know)

Yes, I'd do it. There are other books that have touched on the subject. Some of the more likely early methods would be virtual environments built by the users as they go. You'd have others there to interact with in the machine even if outside interaction was limited at first. Download into acceptable receptacles is probably the hardest part really. The other option is space travel. Now that most major space agencies have realized that living people and deep space aren't actually going to work well, this is the second option. Soon a copy of you will be able to join a crew on a mission that lasts a thousand years maybe. No biggie at all.

I think its fab!