[ExI] Let's play What If.

[John Clark]

On Nov 12, 2010, at 8:38 AM, Alan Grimes wrote:

> Most of the things that people call "properties" are actually artifacts
> of human perception.

My consciousness is obviously a human perception, an artifact is an undesirable alteration of data, thus unless you are willing to argue that consciousness is undesirable consciousness is not an artifact. However it is true that consciousness is a side effect of intelligence, Darwin taught us that in 1859.

> Anything beyond what is strictly scientifically detectable (such as the number of atoms in a substance) is nothing more than something that a human imagines and then forces on the perception.


Or to put it another way, all the really important things are the invention of mind, the invention of what the brain does.

> What it means is that things such as vases, speakers, symbols on calculator keys, can only exist in
> the mind.

Yes, I couldn't have put it better myself, but I'm surprised to hear you say that as it strengthens the case for uploading. The thing we value, the thing we want to survive, is not 70 kilograms of hydrogen oxygen carbon and nitrogen but our wife or husband and ourselves. 

> In the world there is nothing but arrangements of mater

Correct again, and atoms are generic and the information on how they are arranged can be duplicated; remind me again why uploading won't work.

> Non-sequiter because the routine replacement of some of your atoms at
> some low rate

The term "low rate" has meaning only if the amount of time is specified. On a particle physics timescale the rate of atomic replacement is indeed low, but on a geological timescale it is virtually instantaneous. There is no preferred timescale in physics, one is as valid as another.       

> is not evidence of anything whatsoever.

It certainly is not evidence that atoms have anything to do with personal identity; atoms have no individuality themselves so its not very surprising that they can't confer this property to us. 

> Bullshit.

My lawyers will be contacting you on a matter involving copyright infringement. 

 John K Clark




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