[ExI] The atoms red herring. =|

[Stathis Papaioannou]

On Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 1:21 PM, Alan Grimes <agrimes at speakeasy.net> wrote:

> 5. I have exhaustively reviewed every argument against uploading. It is
> clear that you have selected an artificially narrowed world-view crafted
> such that uploading naturally emerges from the system.

Uploading doesn't "naturally emerge". It takes a lot of scientific effort.

> Kurt Godel proved
> that math is either incomplete or inconsistent. Science can tell you
> what you might feel about something but it can't tell you what you
> *SHOULD* feel about it.

True, but that has nothing to do with Godel.

> The only place you can obtain meaning and
> purpose is through philosophy. (Some people try to obtain it through
> religion but they suck).

Most people obtain meaning and purpose neither through philosophy nor
religion, but through doing what they feel is important due to their
genetics and environment.

> My philosophical claim here is that identity is
> self-evident. It does not require a soul, it does not require atoms, it
> does not require patterns, it exists because it exists, it exists, but
> it's existence is not less real or significant than that of any emergent
> property of any hand-picked assemblage of atoms. Why do you require that
> I believe otherwise?

The purpose of discussions such as this is to put beliefs under
scrutiny. Your conception of identity seems to have its closest
analogy in the soul, in that it is something that cannot be reduced to
matter or information and cannot be detected by any empirical means.
The reductionist position explains identity more simply, without ad
hoc metaphysical entities, and therefore is to be preferred. But you
are of course free to believe anything you like.


-- 
Stathis Papaioannou