A view on cryonics (was Re: [extropy-chat] Bad Forecasts!)

[Giu1i0 Pri5c0]

Now this is an interesting thread! Thanks Brett and Rafal for bringing this
up (again).
The key question is, are you still you after [cryonics, uploading, merge
with the Cosmic Self, ... whatever you like].
In a sense you are not the same person after getting a haircut: some matter
is missing, you look different in the mirror so after a while your
self-image is affected, etc.
But of course you are the same person after getting a haircut.
We can build a hierarchy of examples ranging from simple examples like this
where the answer is clearly yes, to more complex examples. Are you still the
same person after radical psychotherapy? Is the old (wo)man the same person
as the teenager of 50 years ago? Are you still you after a radical change of
worldview? Are you still you after waking up from sleep?...
In a sense the answer is always no, in another sense it is always yes. To me
this means that the border between self and not self has to be fuzzier than
we think, and that in some sense we can choose on which side we want to be.
So I choose to *be* still me after sleep, even if I may have had one of
those dreams with a very deep psychloogical impact. I am not afraid to go to
sleep because I know from experience that after waking up I will accept
today's self as a continuation of yesterday's self.
I think people will say the same after biologically successful revival from
cryonic suspension, or after cybernetically successful uploading.
G.
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