I had written
>> But watch out. If you evolve into something that on objective
>> grounds is not-Samantha, then unless you've arranged that
>> earlier versions of you get ample run time, you'll be quite
>> dead. Please don't let that happen.
and Samantha responded
> Why would I want to avoid evolving to where one particular
> packaging is not around any more?
Oh, that's all right. I was cautioning (see above) into evolving
to the point that nothing exists except something that we'd have to
view, objectively, as non-Samantha. For example, if we call X the
1/4 inch long fetus that used to be you, then X has evolved to the
point that X isn't around any longer. X is dead. Totally.
> Why would infinite re-runs of this particular me package be such
> a great thing? Just because I am no longer running this particular
> package does not mean that *I* am no longer existing at all.
Yes.
> Are we to turn the solar system and more into computronium simply to
> run endless "I Love Me" episodes or endless simulations of our past
> packagings and points of view? That doesn't seem particularly meaningful.
To each his own, I suggest. But if each future version of you begins
to reason the way that I think you are reasoning now, there will come
a time where Samantha doesn't exist. Just like what happened to X.
Inch by inch, step by step, it's gradually replaced by something
different.
Emlyn wrote:
> It was a theoretical point that I was making... infinity or not infinity.
> A big number, like 10^10^10^10 years, is not infinite, and maybe we could
> do that? But forever is really long... I'd be surprised if you could show
> that the probability of any given individual surviving does not approach 0
> as lifespan approaches infinity.
Well, I would be very surprised if you could show that it did!
Of course, we really don't know. And to me, it's not really important
either. It's just that I object when someone starts talking as you did
about the necessity of eventual mortality, without having anything
specific to back it up. Since we don't know, and you can't succinctly
argue that after 10^10^10^10 years of successful existence our luck
necessarily has to change, I still detect a prejudice towards mortality
in your prose (despite the wonderful lyrics of "Alive").
> I expect that I'll be toes up, or something approximating that,
> eventually. I'm just not in any rush.
Oh, good. I'm very concerned about the future of music, and this
is reassuring. No joke.
Lee Corbin
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 10:00:01 MDT