Uploading

Brent Allsop (allsop@swttools.fc.hp.com)
Mon, 7 Jul 1997 10:40:20 -0600


John K Clark <johnkc@well.com>,

We're starting to repeat ourselves. It is my feeling that you
are still entirely missing the point I am trying to make as indicated
here:

> You can't use your consciousness theory because that's what you're
> trying to test and the only feeling I can objectively observe is my
> own, so how could I ever objectively prove you're conscious?

"the only feelings I can objectively observe is my own" is
precisely the point. We will so thoroughly understand the laws of
physical consciousness and how they correspond and predict what WE
feel as we observe, manipulate and stimulate our own brain that there
will be no other possibility but that others with similar neural
correlates are experiencing similar sensations.

Also, just as our brain integrates many sense representations
into one single conscious world, eventually we'll be able to integrate
multiple conscious brains into single conscious worlds. Just like we
know in our own minds that a red sensation is not anything like a
salty sensation, or just like we know that red produced by one eye is
the same as red produced by the other eye, we will be able to design
ways to experience, first hand, what other minds are experiencing.

These are only two possible techniques to accomplish what you,
for some unknown reason, apparently claim will be forever impossible.
I'm sure if one is creative enough one can think of many other ways to
do this kind of stuff. Once we understand how to manipulate,
engineer, improve, and upload minds and all that, all this kind of
understanding and proof must come to pass just like we know that the
earth is not the center of the universe because we are finally dancing
around in our heliocentric solar system and beyond.

Brent Allsop