From: ABlainey@aol.com
Date: Thu Feb 06 2003 - 18:32:16 MST
In a message dated 06/02/03 16:15:17 GMT Standard Time, jef@jefallbright.net
writes:
> What I find strange is that many people would generally agree with the above
> paragraph, but then continue to think that preservation of this illusionary
> "self" is an all-important goal.
>
This question bothers me. As a carbon based biped running wetware
V1972-.07.02.03 which is of course a self aware and self updating Operating
system. My primary function is the survival of said OS and the rather fragile
system it runs on.
A question that has received considerable run time on the OS is whether the
primary function is a subroutine that is constantly running. Or does it just
monitor all input and hit the alarm button when a threat is perceived? This
being a chemical release that tells me 'Death=Bad!'
Does the rule for the primary function reside in OS itself? That is the
'conscious mind' or self. Having been programmed in by years of input and
calculation, Or does it reside in the hardware as an input induced chemical
release?
I think the question I am trying to ask is this. Is our fear of death only
attributable to the queasy feeling of fear that we get when we either
perceive a threat or when we think about one? Or it is driven purely by a
learned logical processes that simply tells us death is bad?
I think that It is mainly a learned thing. I have seen both my children and
other peoples children putting themselves in very dangerous positions that
could easily kill them. Not only dangers of the modern world such as
electricity, but more fundamental dangers like falling down stairs, out of
windows or off balconies.
As a child and even in adolescence I put myself in dangerous positions that
in some cases I really was very lucky to survive. It seems that humans are
pretty dumb when it comes to danger until they have either learnt through
experience or from being taught.
So when the glorious day come when my OS is copied to a shiny new chrome
plated body, will my sense of self preservation also be transferred? If my
OS contains the self preservation code or subroutine, then I will probably
exist for a long time, Hardware failures excluded.
However if the drive for self preservation is purely or mainly down to the
chemical feel bad signal that will no longer be felt. I should imagine that
my existence would be fairly short.
Will I just suddenly find myself without the animal inhibitions that make me
avoid non existence?
Alex
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