[ExI] destructive uploading

[Ben Zaiboc]

"G. Livick" <glivick at sbcglobal.net> asked:

> I've wondered what it would be like, how it would impact a person
> psychologically, to be a thinking entity without a physical body.  What
> would we do all day?  Email people?


Oh, come on.  This has been hashed over countless times.

Oh, well...

There's no such thing as 'without a body'.  You said "without a physical body", and that may well be true, but there will always be a body.  If not a physical one, then a virtual one.  In fact, a virtual body would be better in many respects, because you could have a lot more control over it (and the environment it's in, if you like).

So, in answer to the question "what would you do?", assuming it's taken as read that by "without a physical body" you mean "with a virtual body":  Whatever you like!

Take this as an opportunity to stretch your imagination.

An upload in a virtual body in a simulated environment will have a *huge* range of possibilities, many, many times more than are possible in our current physical (or even any future physical) bodies.  Personally, I'd want control over the environment as well as the body simulation.  Endless fun, if that's your thing.  Or a vastly improved work environment.  Or most likely, both.

And if that doesn't float your boat, remember that an upload could also control a physical body.  Robotic, or even biological if you insisted.  I imagine that the level of technology required for uploads would make seamless integration with a physical body trivial, so if you wanted, you could get much the same experience as now, in your current body (except much better, if you take into account the ability to control it better, including your senses, etc.)

And that's just for starters.  There's also interaction with other uploads to think about...

Ben Zaiboc