> Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:54:53 -0400
> From: harv@gate.net (Harvey Newstrom)
> Subject: [UPLOADING]: Who decides if I'm alive?
>
> During one uploading scenario, the uploaded copy is made first and then
> the original copy is destroyed. Some people think that the destruction
> of the first copy is murder. Others think it is not as long as there is
> an identical copy.
>
> What is murder? The deliberate causing of death.
> What is death? Herein lies the debate.
>
--snip--
> - --
> Harvey Newstrom <mailto:harv@gate.net>
> Author, Engineer, Entrepreneur, <http://www.gate.net/~harv>
> Consultant, Researcher, Scientist. <ldap://certserver.pgp.com>
>
> ------------------------------
Hmm, maybe there is a third question in this debate, what is suicide? If you ask the uploaded entity, "Did you kill yourself?" I'm guessing that you'd get the answer, "No", but it would be diffucult to ignore the rather obvious pool of protoplasm on the floor. ;-)
Unless some sort of destructive scanning technique is used (a'la Star Trek (I know, I know, filled with bad science and un-extropian ideas)).
I personally find the idea that Star Trek, has, over the years, portrayed thousands of suicides, vaguely amusing.