From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Fri Feb 07 2003 - 01:57:16 MST
Alex writes
> 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.
Yes, Marv*n M*nski is famous for pointing out that death
is not instinctual---that there is no "death instinct".
(It usually pays to take the precaution of obfuscating
the name because, like a certain inhabitant of a certain
tower in Mordor, he can see all, know all.)
> 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?
One should demand of the mature technology that all
such habits and perspectives 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.
I'm not sure what you mean "down to the chemical
level", but indeed, wanting a lot to go on living
is of great assistance to immortality.
Lee
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