[extropy-chat] Re: Time Travel

[Rob Wilkes]

What do you think about the following scenario: At some point in the future 
a time travel (of sorts) is developed where information from the past can 
be retrieved in complete detail (e.g. molecular detail).  If a decison was 
made to retrieve a person from the past, and the technology to construct a 
person from that information existed then a person could be brought to the 
future by reassembling them from thier past information "signature."  Sort 
of like Star Trek transporter technology "beaming" a person from the past 
to the future.  If there was the capacity in the future to assimilate these 
reassembled folks then as many people could be retireved as desired. 
Information could be captured at the point of that person's death and a new 
body could be constructed.  Perhaps only congnitive and memory aspects 
would be replicated exactly, while the body was replaced with a healthy 
one.  Does this start to sound like resurrection and afterlife?  So, let's 
see.  We, the decendents of nth grandmother Bessie decide to "retrieve" her 
from the past.  She arrives in the future to be greeted by us (her 
descendents) and other "retrieved" family members.  Sort of the ultimate 
family reunion.  Note that in this scenario no one interferes with the 
past, they just "read it", and replicate the desired parts.