[ExI] Uploading and selfhood solution

[ablainey at aol.com]

 I have been working on the problem of 'Self' and I have knocked up this rough draft of my solution. It is incomplete, but the bones are there.
Feel free to rip to shreds or add your thoughts, appologies for spelling and grammer, its late and I have a ton of other things I should have been doing.

Alex




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The reversible, non
destructive, Transference uploading technique



version 0.9



by Alex Blainey



 



Basic Step by step:



 



The upload room, should ideally be simple and with little feature. A
perfect simulation of the room is created within the upload computer. This
computer is the substrate where the uploaded individual will be kept until the
process has been deemed successful.



 



The subject lays on a scanning table or similar.



The subject is ideally paralysed to stop movement, but still
retains all feeling. This step will probably not be essential depending on the
capability of the scanning machine to account for movement. Presumably it would
need to be able to, as it would need to account for movement of the diaphragm,
heart, blood etc.



 



The simulation of the room is run at a speed equivalent to
real time, the upload will also be run at the same speed as the original
subject to avoid asynchronous processes occurring between the subject and the
upload.



 



The scan begins.



 



The scanning machine can measure any point in the body and
can also remotely stimulate it. For example it could remotely stimulate a nerve
to simulate a signal from an adjoining nerve. It can also remotely put any
point of the body in stasis effectively freezing its function. In this way it
can scan a neuron, then freeze it. Once scanned the neuron can be simulated in
the upload.  Any stimulus that goes to
this frozen original neuron from its neighbours can be registered. Then passed
to the uploaded version which would act as the original. The function of the
original being perfectly duplicated and the output from this upload neuron
would then be passed back to the next in the subjects body, just as if the
original were still functioning.



 



In this way the scanning machine incrementally scans,
replicates function, freezes the original and acts as a neural link between the
original and the upload. This ensures that the subject remains conscious and
functional throughout the process. Thus preserving the self throughout.




 



The process continues like this with the system gradually
moving function from the subject to the upload. In this way, the consciousness
of the subject is gradually transferred from the original substrate to the new
one. Leaving the original body frozen, while the consciousness now continues to
seamlessly run in the uploaded state.



 



It is desirable that all parts of the subject are simulated
in the upload, the body, chemistry and all inputs and outputs. This would
ensure that the uploaded state is identical to the human state and includes the
many factors that the body chemistry contributes to the ‘self’.



 



The point of the process is to highlight any differences in
the two states of human and upload. So in order to do this we need to include a
very important step. That being the ability to transfer function back to the
original parts of the body.



In this way the subject would be aware of any changes
between the two states, upload and human and any increments between that occur
during the process. These differences be they changes in feeling, emotional
state or any other factor that can be perceived by the subject. On rolling back to the
original state after measured incremental function transferences have occurred,
the subject will be able to say whether something is wrong or whether they have
not perceived a difference.



For example, after successfully transferring a section of
brain and freezing the original, all may seem well. But on rolling back, the
subject may shout ‘Whoa man! It felt like I was a robot, stop the process!’.



 



Ideally the entire process should be unperceivable to the
subject. From there point of view, they have not moved and they are still in
the same room. However they are now in an uploaded state, running on a computer
and ‘living’ inside a simulated room.



It may be necessary to simulate something impossible in
order to convince them that the process has been successful and not just a bad
practical joke. Perhaps this would be an ideal time to simulate a unicycling
pink elephant singing ‘Congratulations!’ 



 



On completion of the process, various tests could be
performed such as personality and memory testing to validate the responses of
the upload. Or any other testing deemed necessary. Perhaps something
specifically requested by the subject like memory tests which have been
specified. For example, questions about event which only the subject knew about
which could be have been documented by them prior to the upload. Then the
answers reviewed to validate the uploads response.



 



When the process is concluded by all to be successful, the
upload is then free to go about their new immortal life. What ever that
entails. Also we now have the issue of the original body. This is frozen in
state and non functional, it’s consciousness having been transferred out.
However as the upload process is reversible due to its transference nature. It
is still possible to transfer the upload back to the body. This is very useful.
An upload could exist in the new state for some time, getting used to it and
experimenting, they could then be transferred back to the original body to be
human again.



This could be the definitive method of validating the
uploaded state, as the now human again subject would be able to talk about what
it was like (If they could articulate all of the experiences). This would be
far more conclusive than an uploaded subject saying how wonderful it is in here
and that ‘you must come join us, jooiiin uuuuussss’



It is also useful as the upload may in the future want to
take the old body out for a spin once in a while. Just for old times sake.



 



 



Of course there is a possibility that the process would have
failed at some point, such as in the case of the subject saying the states are
completely different. Should this occur, it would have highlighted that some
part of the ‘self’ has been omitted from the upload. We could then either try
to improve the process to include this, or it may be that the subject wants to
go ahead with it anyway as the difference is small. Baring in mind that the
body is still available it may be preferable to be incompletely uploaded rather
than stay in mortal form. Ideally in this case,  whatever is missing can be scanned from the frozen body or where
ever it is located and added to the upload at a later date.



It may even be the case that some small part of the original
body must be kept functional in order to complete the ‘self’ in the upload,
such as where quantum entanglement or some other remote but connected influence
plays a part. Obviously discovery of any such occurrences like this could cause
problems, but it would also show us where to look for a solution.



 



The subject may decide that the upload process is not yet
ready, in which case they would be fully transferred back to the original body
and would continue in mortal form until the process is better. If this were the
case, then the uploaded version would be frozen during the transference back to
the human state, leaving effectively a permanent backup copy of the subject
resident in the computer. Albeit an incomplete version and now out of synch,
this would still offer some semblance of immortality to most people. For
example if the original were to be killed, the upload version could be unfrozen
and continue in its own right.



 



 



 



Conclusion



This process is not perfect and many details are still being
worked out, such as the synchronisation of memory when transferring and rolling
back. Likewise with the synchronicity of the bodies chemistry and mechanical
systems and circulation. These may be overcome by allowing the original and upload to run
simultaneously during the process. Something which I am working on. These nuts
and bolts kind of problems are of the type which are generally solved by the
designers and builders of such systems rather than the theorists that initially
think them up. Even more so in this case as we are theorising about technology
which does not yet exist. So I won’t worry to much about the fine detail. But
overall I believe that this method offers the most effective and acceptable
process of uploading, which preserves the continuous stream of consciousness
therefore addressing the issue of ‘self’. It also allows for any immeasurable
or remote part of the ‘self’ such as what some might call the soul. It also
negates problems such as what to do with the original when an upload has been
created by a simple duplication process and all the ethical dilemmas which this
entails.



Personally
I would insist on being uploaded by such a process as it is the only method
that addresses all of my own concerns.However that said, in an imminent death situation, any method
of uploading would be preferable to the alternative. 






 


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