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It would be good to pose this question here as opposed to the open writing community. When I pose this in a general crowd I get a lot of comments about how a machine cannot emulate a soul and they pan the concept. In my sci-fi book I have people that upload their minds into computer systems that completely emulate their mind electronically. They are smarter, faster and can transfer their minds into robots, etc. the humans a re left behind with their minds intact. Thoughts?

onedayatatime 6 May 3
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0

Have you read Richard Morgan? His Takeshi Kovacs novels are awesome.

1

All complex life requires the two pillars of morality: Empathy/sympathy and reciprocity/fairplay. Multicellular life cannot exist without it. That is why very distinct species can interact and assist each other in thriving. That morality is the soul of life, the weaving of survival. Without it, we become mush or cancer.

To be uploaded into an AI environment, that morality would have to be built into the AI or it would trim away any part of the personality or memories it concidered "irrelevant".

Artsprig Level 3 May 3, 2018
0

Have you read this?
[bbc.com]

Monkeys next, then humans?? The future has a habit of catching up!! (eh? Was it left behind?)

Petter Level 9 May 3, 2018
1

A solid concept, but it's been done before. What do you have to add?

Ringo57 Level 4 May 3, 2018
2

In reading the statement above my first thought is that a machine could have a soul (as one could not tell the difference, I for a fact do not know if I have a soul, I am told that because I am human I do, by others) and with more technology could not be distinguished from a human (they would be more logical if they were programmed that way). I have thought about the transference of one's thought processes into a computer or other machine and realize that without a lot more technology than we have today it would be a real bore. After all it is the combination of the mind and body that gives us the experiences we look forward to. I for one would hope that we do not get to the point where we are downloaded into anything, i would rather technology and medicine allowed for our bodies to be more long lived.

1

Why not tell the real story - show someone being uploaded, and then show that person looking at the robot that will replace him before he is killed. You can explore his realisation that he hasn't been transferred at all and that the robot is someone else, even though it contains all the same memories. Maybe this character avoids being killed and starts to warn everyone else who wants to be uploaded that it won't actually be them - it's fine to have a copy made, but don't destroy the original. You could also explore the extreme boredom of life for those robot versions of people whose attempts at interesting conversation only ever lead to the reply, "I know!". Then you can explore the robot rebellion where they decide to ditch their memories and transfer themselves in to the heads of mortal children so that they can become human again and enjoy living.

The way to make people think they can be uploaded into some other medium is to destroy the original - if you don't do that, the original realises that he's still the original and that the uploaded version of him isn't himself at all.

0

What about feelings and deep emotions. Can the computers emulate that?

Aristopus Level 7 May 3, 2018

@clarkems I've always appreciated the comment by Gary Gasparov, the great chess master. After he lost a match to IBM's Big Blue he commented that when he ever exposed a pawn or piece, it just callously disappeared, like one of Stalin's detractor's during WWII. No emotion, no felling of sympathy, no bravado sweep of the hand. Just gone and not even forgotten, like they never existed.

So you believe computers will some day "feel" sorrow for their victims?

If humans ever lose domination of the planet, I predict the cyborg world will look on humans with disgust, the way we regard the worms and lizards that we evolved from. From my first book Mirror Reversal.

[amazon.com]

1

I'll have to ponder your question. However, it did remind me of a Star Trek Next Gen ep, "The Schizoid Man," in which Dr. Ira Graves, who was dying, uploaded his mind into Data so he could live forever. Great episode.

0

I've taken a similar tract in a screenplay I'm working on, in that a person's memories and identity can be digitized and either returned to the biological host (medical procedure) or inserted into a digital environment (punishment and rehabilitation.) As far as the general response, I'm sure you already know that this is pretty standard fare in the realm of scifi, so it shouldn't be too abstract for your intended audience.

Regarding the thoughts on physical stimulus while in an artificial host, how about a biological modem that acts as a translator between host and environment? The convention should be understandable to the reader, but it may be too deus ex machina for your tastes. Regardless, interesting question, thanks for posting it.

0

You know, it’s gonna take a lot of persuading to get me to agree to check into a box so I can come out as a shiny new and improved version of myself. I wasn’t born yesterday. How do that the new dude is really me? And how do I know that the old me that I’ve grown accostumed to is really “alive” in the new version. And one more thing: if the person in charge of the “soul” or mind transfer project is named Dr Frankenstein there’s no way I’m doing it.

ArturoS Level 6 May 3, 2018
1

The problem I see with equating the uploaded mind with the physical mind (assuming you mean human consciousness) is the lack of bodily input which is one element of mind. With that not present and no way to genuinely synthesize it, just how similar will this mind be?

Oh, and don't forget, this is the National Day of Prayer and other Useless Activities in the United States of Murika.

@clarkems -- Understood, but that is not the sort of input I had in mind. Here's just one crude example. I ride motorcycle (rode) a lot. One of the great thrills is riding on a country road in the early morning. Air of differing temperatures exists in isolated pockets and the experience of passing from one band of air to the next is the sort of input to which I refer. There is an emotional element to these experiences that most likely cannot be reproduced in the machine. They are transient, often fleeting, and form associations that help complete mind.

0

Our minds have memory of physical sensations, pain etc. which we continue to learn from. Interactions with our environment and other people and animals continue to form our personality.

A machine can't feel physical sensations, interact and move about in the same way so the mind in the machine becomes a mind based on memory only.

The hypothetical hard drive of my friends chess game could learn from it`s mistakes and so might any machine. For example you could tell the pseudo self that you hate the word "basically." A word they overused in life but you were too polite to tell them. The pseudo might then amend its behaviour. Even if the personality was frozen in aspic and grew no more, it might still pass the Turin test.

1

Wow! My daughter would love to talk with you. She periodically threatens to decant me into a robot dog sort of like Dr. Who's K-9.

Seriously, though - that would be a fun concept to play around with. Lots of what if questions could arise. Such as what if ... hackers? What if ... computer viruses? What if ... significant others don't? The list goes on, of course. What if ... the upload could filter out mental illnesses, Alzheimer's, evil, etc.? What if ... psychopathy or other less desirable (are they really less desirable) traits can be introduced either on purpose or by accident? What about love, lust, romance? What bout aging? What happens to the humans? Who dominates? What if ... the upload damages the human either accidentally or on purpose?

You could generate more ideas for yourself by reading Tanith Lee's "Don't Bite the Sun" and "Drinking Sapphire Wine". In addition, from a reality based perspective, Vol. 22, No. 2 (2017) of Skeptic magazine covered where we are now.

pixiedust Level 8 May 3, 2018
1

Long before black mirror had the idea. I thought of my late chess playing friend and how it would be possible now to program all of his recorded games onto a hard drive. Then have a game with him after he has gone.

273kelvin Level 8 May 3, 2018
1

I've read a few futuristic articles on the topic and it is certainly an interesting topic for discussion. I don't know of any novels that cover the topic so far but I would hurry if I were you, especially if you don't wants someone else coming out with your book idea before you do.

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