EECOLOR

I just watched the 3 part documentary called Technocalyps. This documentary is about technology, it's progress, it's implications and also about it's effect on human evolution.

The documentary had great impact on me as it touches some fundamental human topics and discussions. The part I want to write about now is the one concerning my conciousness and it's transfer to another type of body.

Scientists succesfully transfered the brain of one monkey to the body of another, the monkey lived 7 days before the body rejected the brain. Other scientists have the means to mimic certain brain processes.

So let's asume my brain contains all that makes me me. Then I would be able to, right before I die, transfer my conscious being into another system. In the case that I was transfered into another human like body (maybe cloned) there would no imediate problem. But what if they transfered me into a virtual world? This virtual world was designed to exactly mimic life as I know it. Maybe a few years in the future (as I might have been unconscious), because that would explain why I did not recognise any of the other inhabitants (easier for the programmers of the software). 

The question that arises here is the same that came from the movie The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor and Existenz: How would I know that I was living in a virtual world?

As for now I do not know if there is an answer to that question as the same question applies to life as we know it. How do we know this is real? As for the life I accept as real, the thing we call reality, the solution lies in the answer to the following question: How real does it seem?

Both in real life as in the virtual mimic the answer would be the same: Real enough.

That answer gives us another question: Does it really matter?

And this, I find, is a tough one. My rational answer to that question would be: no, it doesn't. If it is mimiced perfectly there would be no difference. My gut feeling however is shouting: Offcourse it matters, it's virtual and thus not real!



I guess I will have to ponder about the first question a bit more as it might provide me with some insights into human life. I would recommend you to watch the documentaries as they provide some interesting thoughts, problems and discussions.