[extropy-chat] What should survive and why?

[Heartland]

Lee:
>> >This is what Heartland and Damien and all of them are afraid of when it
>> >comes to teleportation

Damien:
>> No, like most organisms I'm afraid of being killed. It doesn't make
>> any difference if someone recompiles an exact copy of me in a galaxy
>> far, far away. Certain biases driven by my genes might be persuaded
>> that such simulacra should become twice as precious to me as my genes
>> estimate my kids and sibs should be, but so far they haven't even
>> done such a great job in urging me to reproduce or keep in touch with
>> my sister and brothers most of the time, let alone bequeath them my
>> fortune.

Stathis to Damien:
> And yet you leave your fortune to your tomorrow-self, rather than blowing it
> all before you go to sleep tonight. How do you know that tomorrow-self isn't
> just some guy who happens to have all your memories?  If someone claimed
> that criterion X is a sure sign of death, and it so happens that criterion X
> occurs every night to every person, wouldn't you answer that - even without
> knowing the details of criterion X - it must be a load of crap because you
> know you *don't* die every night?

It seems that you first assume, "I don't die every night" and then tailor your 
definition of death and all the other statements about survival to fit that 
assumption. It should be the other way around. Only after you find out what death 
is first you can begin answering questions such as, "When do I die?"

Stathis to Lee:
> The alternative situation
> is to have memories removed and false memories implanted while you are
> asleep. If this were to happen to a sufficient extent tonight, then it would
> be equivalent to death.

Wouldn't you agree that this is an arbitrary definition of death? After all, every
portion of Lee's body would function properly and without interruptions, including
the brain. Would it really make sense to say Lee died during the night even though
Lee's body (all of it) has remained in perfect health throughout the night? Would
you be successful in convincing any practicing physician to issue a death
certificate for the "deceased?"

Stathis to Lee:
> So you could physically die but survive mentally,

Then I'm afraid you believe in soul. Mental supervenes on the physical. If the 
physical is no more, the mental is no more too.

H.