Killedbybadphilosophy

Whybrainpreservationfollowedbyminduploadingisacurefordeath
KennethHayworth
(January2010)

Atragicmiscalculation:

Youwakeupwithasplittingheadacheandweaknessononesideofyourbody.Yourwife
rushesyoutothehospitalwhereaCTscanrevealswhatiswrong.Youhaveamassive
aneurysmthatisabouttoburstinyourbrainandwillsurelykillyouwhenitdoes.
Furthermore,thepositionoftheaneurysmisdeepwithinthebrainmakingatraditional
surgicalapproachimpossible.Youaregivensomedrugstoeasethepainandthedoctor
explainsyouroptionstoyouandyourwife.

Thedoctorsuggeststheuseofanuntestedsurgicalprocedurethatmaygivethesurgeons
enoughtimetocliptheaneurysmandsaveyourlife.Theprocedurewillinvolveloweringyour
bodyandbraintemperaturedownto10oCelsiusandthenstoppingyourheartandbloodflow
forafullhour.Thisstoppingofbloodflowwillallowthesurgeonstocompletethecomplicated
surgerywithouttheriskofcatastrophicbloodloss,andthelowtemperaturewillprotectyour
brainfrommetabolicdamageduringthehouritwillbewithoutoxygenatedbloodflow.

Perplexed,youaskyourdoctorWillmybrainstillbeactiveduringthesurgery?No,your
doctorsays,At10oCelsiusallcommunicationsbetweenneuronsishalted.Infactthiswillbe
oneofthetestswewillusetomakesurewehaveyourbrainstemperaturelowenoughto
begintheprocedure.Incredulousyouask,ThenyouaresayingIwillbedeadforafullhour,
andthenyouwillattempttobringmebacktolife?!?Thedoctorattemptstoreassureyou,
Welltechnicallyyouwillmeetmostofthelegalrequirementsofdeathduringthathour,but
ourresearchonanimalssuggeststhatoncewerewarmyourbrainandrestartyourheartyou
willsimplyreboot.Youshouldwakeupjustlikeyouwouldfromanesthesiafollowinga
normalsurgery.

Thedoctorleavestheroomtoletyouandyourwifediscuss.Sheisreligiousandsaysshe
believesthatyoursoulwillbecalleduptoheavenassoonasyourbrainstopsfunctioning.
Beinganagnosticwithascientificeducationalbackground,youareoffendedbysuchan
obviouslyillogicaljuxtapositionbetweenthemetaphysicalandbiological.Atadifferenttime
youwouldhavesarcasticallyrespondedtoyourwifebyaskingherExactlywhichpassagein
thebiblemakesthisconnectionbetweenanimmaterialsoulandpatternedneuralfiringinthe
brain?Butatthismoment,withyourlifeatstake,youareonlydeeplysaddenedthatyou
cannotrelyonyourwifescounsel.However,yourownscientificbackgroundcandolittle
better.Yourecallaspateofpopularsciencearticlesyouhavereadaboutthefunctioningof
 thebrain,allendingwithvaguestatementsabouttheremainingmysteryofhuman
consciousness.Youalsorecallseveralphilosophicalarticlessuggestingthatourconsciousself
isanemergentphenomenonofthecomplexneuralactivitywithinthebrain,possiblyhaving
somethingtodowithitsquantumstateorsomesuchthing.Theseallsuggesttoyouthatbeing
braindeadforafullhourisnotreversible.Youstarttoimagineyourdoctorhappilypresenting
youasadroolingFrankensteinlikezombietoyourwifeafterthesurgeryandegotistically
declaringthatthesurgerywasacompletesuccess.

Intheendyoudecidenottoundergothesurgery,reasoningthatithasessentiallyzero
chanceofsuccessbutwouldcostyourgrievingfamilyseveralthousanddollarsevenafter
insurance.Youcomfortyourselfthatperhapstheaneurysmwillnotburstandintimemay
disappear.Aweeklatertheaneurysmdoesburstandyoudieofamassivecerebral
hemorrhage.Yourwifeandyoungsonmournthelossofthefatherhewillneverknow.

Afewyearslateryourwifereadsanewspaperarticleabouthowanewsurgicalprocedure
isprovingphenomenallysuccessfulattreatingpreviouslyintractableaneurysmsandhowa
dozenpatientsarenowlivingnormallivesafterundergoingtheprocedure.Withasickfeeling
sherealizesthatthedoctordescribedinthearticleisthesameonethathadsuggestedthe
surgicalprocedureforherhusband.Sheissadanddisturbedbutrationalizesbythinkingit
wasGodsdecision.Howevermanyyearslaterwhenrelatingthestorytoher,nowadult,son,
hehasadifferentinterpretationofthischainofevents:Sowhatyouretellingmemomis
thatdadwasnotkilledbyaburstaneurysm.Hewasactuallykilledbybadphilosophy!

ProfoundHypothermiaandCirculatoryArrest:

Howrealisticistheabovescenario?Very.TheproceduredescribeaboveiscalledProfound
HypothermiaandCirculatoryArrest(PHCA)anditisarealsurgicaltechniqueusedfortreating,amongst
otherthings,hardtoreachbrainaneurysms(Sullivan,Sekhar,Duong,Mergner&Alyano,1999).Ithas
beeninlimitedusesincethelate1950sanditdoesindeedlowerthetemperatureofthebraintosucha
degreethatallcommunicationandpatternedactivitybetweenneuronsishalted(Lomber,Payne&
Horel,1999)foruptoanhour.Theonlypartofthisscenariothatisunrealisticisthedoctorlettinghis
patientcommitsuicideoversuchaflimsyphilosophicalargument.Adoctortodaywouldsimplypointto
thehundredsofreportsofpatientsleadinghighfunctioninglivesafterundergoingtheprocedure.Ido
notknowifthefirstpatientstoundergoaPHCAprocedurehadsuchphilosophicalmisgivings.

Ihopeyouagreewithmethatitwouldbeparticularlypatheticforasontorealizethathisfather
diedbecauseofhismisplacedfaithinbadphilosophy.Inretrospect,i.e.nowthatweknowthat
peopledosurvivethePHCAprocedure,wecanseehowfoolishitwouldbeforthemaninthestory
abovetosimplyassumethatstoppingbrainactivitywouldresultinhisirreversibledeath.Ifthemanhad
consultedaneuroscientistthesarcasticresponseobtainedmighthavebeenExactlywhichpassagein
your[philosophical]biblemakesthisconnectionbetweenanimmaterialsoulandpatternedneuralfiring
inthebrain?
 IambelaboringthispointbecauseIamvirtuallycertainthatourgrandchildrenwillbesayingthe
samethingaboutus.Theywillsaythatwediednotbecauseofheartdisease,cancer,orstroke,but
insteadthatwediedpatheticallyoutofignoranceandsuperstition.Theywillsaywewerekilledbyour
badphilosophy.Inonehundredyearstheywillaskindisbelief,Ourgrandparentshadthetechnology
topreservethepreciseneuralcircuitryoftheirbrainsforlongtermstorage.Thebestscienceofour
grandparentserastatedunequivocallythatthisuniquepatterningofneuralcircuitrywastheseatofthe
self;initwaswrittenallmemories,skills,andpersonality.Ourgrandparentsseemedtograspthe
quickeningpaceoftechnology,andunderstoodthatfullbrainscanningandsimulationwasaroundthe
corner.Whythendidgrandpaandtherestofhisgenerationrejectbrainpreservationandmind
uploadingasameansofovercomingdeath?And,afterconsideringtheevidence,ourgrandchildren
willcometothesadconclusionthatwewerekilledbyourbadphilosophynomatterhowclearthe
sciencewas,wesimplycouldnotreallyacceptthefactthatwewerephysicalmachines.

Uploadingprocedurecirca2110:

Letsspeculativelyjumpforward100yearstotheyear2110andattempttoperceivethehistory
ofourgenerationthroughourgrandchildrenseyes.In2110itwilllikelybecommonplaceforpeopleto
uploadtheirmindsintocomputersandtoreplacetheirbiologicalbodieswithfarsuperiorroboticand
virtualones.Alikelyscenariowillbeasfollows:Awoman100yearsfromnowwalksintoahospitalto
undergoaminduploadingprocedure.Sheisgivengeneralanesthesiaandwheeledintoasurgicalsuite
whereanopenheartbypasssurgeryisperformedhookinghervascularsystemuptoasetofexternal
pumps.Thesepumpsfirstperfuseachemicalfixative,glutaraldehyde,throughhervasculaturesothatit
quicklyreacheseverycellinherbodyandinparticulareveryneuroninherbrain.Thisperfusionofa
poisonouschemicalfixativeisdonetocrosslinktheproteinmachinerywithineverycell,fixingthese
proteinsinplaceandpreventingdecay.Next,anotherpoisonouschemicalfixativeisperfused,thistime
osmiumtetroxide,whichfixeslipidmoleculesinplace.Thesetwosteps(fixationofproteinsandfixation
oflipids)arecrucialinthattheyusechemicalbondingtoineffectglueallthemolecularmachinery
withinhercellstogether.

Nextourpatientsbrainandspinalcordispreparedtoallowfornanoresolutionscanning.The
firststepinthisprocessistoperfusehervasculaturewithheavymetalstainingsolutions,likeuranyl
acetate,thatbindtocellmembranesallowingthemtobelatervisualizedunderanelectronmicroscope.
Nextallwatermustberemovedfromwithinandbetweenthecellsandreplacedwithaplasticresinthat
canbehardenedtorigidifythetissueallowingittobecutintosmallerpiecesandimaged.Thisisdone
byperfusingherfirstwithethanoltograduallyleachoutallwater,thenwithanorganicsolventtoleach
outtheethanol,andfinallywithincreasingconcentrationsofplasticresindissolvedintheorganic
solventuntileveryregionofintracellularandextracellularspaceisfilledwithpureplasticresin.Toassist
inthisprocessofremovingandreplacingwaterwithplasticresin,severalholesaredrilledinour
patientsskullandtubesinsertedthroughthesetoreachintotheventricularandsubduralspacesofher
brain.Normally,ourbrainandspinalcordfloatinaliquidcalledcerebrospinalfluidinasackoftough
materialcalledtheduramater.Theinsertedtubesallowtheethanol,solvent,andplasticresintobe
directlycirculatedwithinthisduramatersackwhilethesesolutionsaresimultaneouslybeingperfused
throughthepatientsbloodvessels.Attheendofthisprocessthepatientsbrainandspinalcordare
floatinginpureplasticresinandeverynookandcrannyofintracellularandextracellularspaceisalso
filledwiththisplasticresin.

Atthispointourintrepidpatientiswheeledintoa60oCelsiusovenwhichhardenstheplastic
resininherbrainandspinalcordintoasolidblock.Skin,muscle,vertebra,andskullbonesareremoved
revealingtheduramatersack.Thistoughmaterialisthenpeeledbacktorevealaperfectlypreserved
brainandspinalcord(includinginitialsegmentsofcranialandspinalnerves)encasedinanamber
coloredtransparentplasticsheath.Everyneuron,everysynapse,everydelicateneuronalprocessinthe
womanscentralnervoussystemisnowperfectlypreserveddowntothenanometerlevelthemost
perfectlypreservedfossilimaginable.Keymolecularcomponentslikeionchannelandreceptorproteins
arealsopreservedchemicallyfixedinpositionbytheglutaraldehydecrosslinksandembeddedinthe
plasticmatrix.

Thepatientsplasticembeddedbrainandspinalcordisthentakentoanautomatedsectioning
machinewhichusesincrediblysharpdiamondknivestosliceherbrainintolongstripsjust100microns
thick,andthesestripsarecollectedonlongspoolsoftape.Aslightheatingofthediamondknivesis
usedtosoftentheplasticduringthisthicksectioningprocedure,inthiswaynomaterialislostor
damagedduringthisthicksectioning.Thethousandsofspoolsoftape,eachcontainingmanybrain
strips,arethenloadedinparallelintothousandsofelectronmicroscopescanningmachines.Each
machinescansthesurfaceofastripwiththousandsofparallelelectronbeams,eachjustfive
nanometerswide,quicklyproducingahighresolutiontwodimensionalpicture.Thenafocusedion
beamisusedtoablateawaythejustscannedtop5nanometersofthestrip,andthenewlyrevealed
surfaceisagainimagedwiththescanningelectronbeams.Ittakes20,000repeatsofthisablationand
imagingprocesstogothroughtheentire100micronthickstrip,butintheendafullthreedimensional
mapofthetissueisproducedwith5x5x5nmresolution.Onceallthebrainstripshavebeenimagedvia
thisdestructiveprocessourpatientsoriginalphysicalbrainandspinalcordwillhavebeencompletely
destroyed,buta5x5x5nmresolutionvolumeimageofherentirebrainandspinalcordwillhavebeen
acquiredintheprocess.

Thisvolumeimageisthenprocessedinacomputertomapouttheconnectivityofeveryneuron
inheroriginalbrain,andtoestimatethestrengthandtypeofeachsynapticconnection.Thismapof
neuronalconnectivityistheninterpretedinlightofthelast100yearsofneuroscienceknowledge(i.e.
theyears2010to2110)toyieldamapofthefunctionalpropertiesofallneuronsandconnections
suitableforsimulationinacomputer.Recallthattheplasticpreservationprocedurepreservedthe
cranialandspinalnervesthatconnectedtheoriginalbiologicalbrainwiththebodyssensereceptors
andmuscles.Usingthesesimulatednerveroots,thecomputersimulationisnowhookeduptoarobot
bodytyingsignalstoandfromtherobotsactuatorsandsensorsintothesimulatedbrainscranialand
spinalnerveroots.

Theinitialstatesofactivityofneuronsinhersimulatedbrainaresettoapproximatewakingup
fromafullshutdownsurgicalprocedurelikethePHCAproceduredescribedabove.Thenthesimulation
isstartedup.Ourpatientgroggilyopenshernewroboticeyesandcautiouslystretcheshernewrobotic
armsintotheair.Itwilltakemanyweeksofpracticeforhertogetfullyusedtocontrollingthisrobotic
bodyandsometweakingofthesimulationparametersbeforesheissatisfiedwithhernewsensory
receptors,butshealreadyknowstheoperationwasasuccessasshepracticesrecallingmemoriesofher
previousbiologicallife.Oncefullycheckedout,sheheadshomeinhernewroboticbodytoreunitewith
friendsandfamilymembersmanyofwhichhavealsoundergoneasimilarprocedure.

Inevitability:

Bytheyear2110suchminduploadingwillprobablybeascommonplaceaslasereyesurgeryis
today.Noonewillbeseriouslybotheredbythephilosophicalquestionsthatminduploadingprovokes
today.NoonewillaskSureitwillhavemymemories,itwillactlikeme,anditwilleventhinkitisme,
butwillitreallybeme?Oncetheprocedurehasbeenperformedafewtimesthisquestionwillbeas
sillyasusaskingtodayifapersonhavingundergoneaPHCAprocedureisstillthesameperson,orfor
thatmatterifapersonwhoreceivesahearttransplantisreallythesameperson.

Thestepsinthespeculativeuploadingprocedureaboveareallstraightforwardextrapolations
fromcurrenttechnology.Theperfusionofchemicalstopreserveandpreparebraintissueforelectron
microscopicimagingisstraightfromtextbookprotocols(Hayat,2000)exceptthattheseareusuallynot
appliedtowholebrains.Thescanningtechnologyexiststodaytoimagebraintissueat5x5x5nm
resolution(Knott,Marchman,Wall&Lich,2008)althoughcurrentlyfartooslowlytoimageawhole
braininareasonabletime.Largescalesimulationsofbraincircuitsarebecomingincreasingly
sophisticated(Markram,2006)andhumanoidroboticbodiesarereachinghigherandhigherlevelsof
dexterityallthetime(e.g.theHondaAsimorobot).Thewritingisonthewallnotonlydocurrent
cognitiveandneurosciencemodelsofthebrainsupportthefeasibilityofminduploading,muchofthe
technologynecessaryforminduploadingisalreadyinexistenceinprimitiveformtoday.Froma
historicalperspective,minduploadingisjustaroundthecornerandwithitacureforallagingand
disease.Moreimportantly,theinitialstepofminduploadingasurgicalproceduretopreservethe
brainandspinalcordinplasticcouldbedemonstratedtodaygivenrelativesmallamountsofmonetary
andintellectualresources.Sinceabrainthatischemicallyfixedandembeddedinplasticwillnotchange
forthousandsofyears,thismeansthatanyonetodaythatwantedtocouldbepreservedsoastobe
uploadedwhentherequisitetechnologyarrives.Theirplasticembeddedbrain,andthebrainsoftheir
friendsandlovedones,couldsimplysitontheshelfforahundredyearstobereawokenandreunited
perhapsassoonas2100.

Rejectionofreason:

Butdespitethescientificobviousnessthatacurefordeathisathandanddespitethefactthat
themainargumentforthiscurewaspublishedover20yearsago(Olson,1988),thevastmajorityof
people,scientistsandlaypeoplealike,rejecttheideaofminduploadingoutofhand.Perhapsevenyou,
gentlereader,findyourselfvigorouslyrejectingthesearguments.Why?Therearemanyreasons.Most
peoplehavesadlybeenbrainwashedbytheworldsmajorreligiouscults(Christianity,Islam,Judaism,
etc.)torejecttheveryfundamentalsofscientificmaterialismthathaveproducedmodernsociety.
Otherssimplylackuptodateknowledgeincognitiveandneuroscienceresearch,orlackunderstanding
oftechnologicaldevelopmentsinbrainpreservation,electronmicroscopicimaging,neuralsimulation,
andartificialintelligence.Thesereasonscancertainlyexplainwhymostlaypeopleareoblivioustothe
potentialpromiseofbrainpreservation,howeverthisstillleavesmillionsofscientificallywelleducated
freethinkingpeoplethathavealsorejectedthepossibilityandtheirrejectioniswhathasstalled
researchintobrainpreservationandpreventeditfrombecomingavailableasalegalmedicalprocedure.

Itisnotoriouslydifficulttogetpeopletoclearlyarticulatethereasoningbehindtheirrejectionof
minduploadingitisoftenstatedassimplyanintuitionthatitwillnotwork.However,itisimportantto
clearlyarticulatethereasoningbehindthisintuitionsothatitcanbeevaluatedinlightoftheavailable
scientificfacts.Afterall,thehistoryofscienceandtechnologyisfilledwithoverturnedintuitions.Tothis
end,Iwillattempttoclearlyarticulatethemainphilosophicalintuitionpeopleexpressforrejectingmind
uploading,andthenshowwhythisintuitioniswrong.

Frommymanydiscussionswithscientificallywelleducated,freethinkingindividualswho
nonethelessrejectminduploading,Ihaveperceivedacommonthemeunderlyingtheirrejection.They,
likethemanwiththeaneurysminthestoryabove,rejectminduploadingasapersonalcurefordeath
basedonaflawedphilosophicalintuitionaboutthenatureoftheself.Thisflawedintuitionisthatthere
issomethingfundamentallyuniqueaboutourinstantaneous(momenttomoment)consciousselfthat
setsusapartfromallotherpeople.Theyassociatetheirtrueselfnotwiththeiruniquesetof
memories,skills,andproclivitieswhichtheyhavebuiltupovertheirlifetimeofexperience,butinstead
withthisvaguelydefinedinstantaneousselfwhichinfactdoesnotexistatall.Fromthisfundamental
contradictionflowsahostofincorrectinferencessuchastheideathataselfcannotbecopiedfromits
biologicalsubstrateintoacomputer,andthataselfcannotexistasmultiplecopiessimultaneously.They
assumethatthisuniqueinstantaneousqualityofselfwillbelostintheuploadingprocedure,being
replacedwithanewselfthatisnottheirown.

Iwillattempttoshowwhythisuniqueinstantaneousselfdoesnotreallyexist,butIwillalso
showwhywebelievesomuchthatitdoesinfact,itisausefulcognitiveillusionbuiltintousbynatural
selectionsimilartothemanyusefulperceptualillusionsthatnaturalselectionhasendoweduswith.
Groundedwiththisbetterunderstandingoftheselfwecanthenunderstandwhyanuploadedmindwill
provideuswiththesameinstantaneoussenseofauniqueselfthatwehavenowthatis,wewill
understandwhyanuploadedcopyofuswillbeus.

Whatistheself?

Ourintuitiontellsusthatbeingme(Ken)rightnowstaringatthesewordsonmylaptopscreen
isfundamentallydifferentfrombeinganotherperson,saymyfriendJohn,staringatthesewordsonhis
laptopscreen.Ofcoursethereistruthtothis,JohnandIwillunderstandthesewordsinasomewhat
differentwayandwillreactsomewhatdifferentlytothem.ButourintuitionalsotellsusthatbeingKen
rightnowstaringatthesewordsissomehowfundamentallysimilartobeingKendrivinginhiscarto
work.ThereisabeingKenquale(singularofqualia)thatissimilareveninthesetwoverydifferent
experiences(readinganddriving)thatisutterlymissinginJohnsconsciousexperience(andisreplaced
withthebeingJohnquale).

Isubmitthatthisintuitioniswrong,andthatitisfundamentallyincompatiblewithour
computationalviewofthebrainsfunctioning.Iwilltrytodemonstratethisintheparagraphsthat
follow.ItakethetimetodothisbecauseIbelievethatthisisthecentralincorrectintuitionthatcauses
mostpeopletorejecttheideaofminduploadingoutofhandandthatleadsotherstodemand
unrealisticallycomplicateduploadingprocedures(e.g.Cryonicsmustbethesamephysical
molecules,GradualTransferawarenessmustbeunbrokenthroughoutthetransferprocedure,Almost
ExactCopinge.g.molecularresolutionsimulation,andevenQuantumTeleportationmusthavethe
samequantumstate).Ifwecanseepastthisincorrectintuitionwewillbeabletobetterevaluate
exactlywhatisnecessarytopreserveanduploadsomeoneandwewillseethatthetechnologies
necessary(atleasttopreserveourbrainwithsufficientfidelityforasuccessfulupload)arewithinour
grasptoday.

Thedebateoverminduploadingrevolvesaroundacentralquestion,Whatdoyouconsiderto
beyou?Minduploadingisuselessifthispersonaldefinitionofyouisnotsuccessfullytransferred.I
wouldliketoarguethatthisyouisnot,andshouldnotbeconfusedwith,ourmomenttomoment
ongoingsenseofself.Itshouldinsteadbeassociatedwithouruniquesetofdeclarativememories
(semanticandepisodic),ouruniquesetofproceduralmemories(memoriesforhowtoreactboth
physicallyandmentallyunderparticularcircumstances),andoursomewhatuniquesetofperceptual
memories(circuitsforhow,forexample,werecognizethatthisparticulararrangementofspotson
ourretinaisastraightline).NotethatIamusingthetermmemoryfortheseinthetechnicalsenseof
(Fuster,1995),asthosechangestothecorticalcircuitrythatwehavelearnedoveralifetimeandthat
guidecognitionandbehavior.Ourparticularsetofthesememoriesisuniquebecausewehavebuilt
themupoverthecourseofourlives.Thesedeclarative,procedural,andperceptualmemoriesare
storedmostlyintheuniquesynapticconnectivityofthecerebralcortexandbasalganglia(Anderson,
2004).

Forexpositionalpurposes,letscalltheselfthatweexperienceonamomentbymomentbasis
ourpointofviewself(POVself),andletscalltheselfthatcomprisesoursetofdeclarative,procedural,
andperceptualmemoriesourmemoryself(MEMself).Ofcourse,tomakeawholepersonyouneed
boththePOVselfexperiencingtheworldonamomentbymomentbasis,andtheMEMselfguidingour
internalandexternalactionsbasedinpartonthecurrentcontentsofthePOVselfandinturnmodifying
thestateofthisPOVself.YoucanroughlythinkofthePOVselfasthecurrentlyactiverepresentational
stateofthebrain,andtheMEMselfasthehardwiredcircuitryofthebrain.However,itisimportantto
thinkofthePOVselfandMEMselfininformationtermsonly.Itdoesnotmatterwhichparticularneurons
arefiringtorepresentthatabusjustpulledoutinfrontofyouorwhichparticularaxonalconnections
causeyoutoswervethesteeringwheelwhatmattersistheinformationalcontentoftheseneural
representationsandcircuits.InthiswayacomparisonofKens,Johns,andsimulatedKensPOVselves
andMEMselvescanbemadeevenwhenthereisnoonetoonemappingbetweenneuronsindifferent
brains.

Iarguethatthereisinfactsurprisinglylittlethatisunique(frompersontoperson)aboutour
POVselfitsinformationalcontentistinycomparedtotheMEMself,thePOVselfvariesalloverthemap
withinasingleindividual,andcruciallythisvaryingoverlapswithallotherhumansmomenttomoment
POVselfexperiences.Forexample,Kensimmediateconsciousexperienceoffeelinghappyismuchmore
similartoJohnsimmediateconsciousexperienceoffeelinghappythanitistoKensimmediate
consciousexperienceoffeelingsad.IfKenstandsinthenorthwestcornerofaroomlookingsoutheast,
theimmediateconsciousexperienceofthispointofviewisalmostidenticaltothatwhichwouldoccurif
Johnweretostandinthesamecornerlookinginthesamedirection.Ofcoursetherearedifferencesin
whatwouldattractournextvisualsaccade.Kenmightsaccadetothesexybrunettetotherightwhereas
Johnmightsaccadetothesexyblondetotheleft.Sincebothgirlswereinourperipheralvision,our
disparatesaccadescouldnotbetiedtoadifferenceinourPOVselves(webothexperiencedabrownblur
totherightandayellowblurtotheleft)butinsteadtoadifferenceinourperceptualandprocedural
memories.Iftheblondeapproached,JohnsPOVselfwouldexperienceherasmoreattractive,butagain
thisshouldreallybeattributedtoadifferenceinourperceptualmemories.Idoubtthatthequale(the
consciousfeeling)ofattractivenessistrulydifferentbetweenKenandJohn,itisjustadifference
betweenwhatexternalstimuliwillgiverisetotheactivationofourattractivenessneuronsandwhat
furtherneuralandbehavioralconsequencesanactivationofthoseattractivenessneuronswillengender.

IfthebrunetteweretostarttalkingtoKeninSpanish,hewouldhearonlyastringofgibberish
sincehedoesnotunderstandSpanish;however,ifsheweretotalktoJohn,whoisfluentinSpanish,he
wouldexperiencediscretewordsandmeaning.IsthisadifferencebetweenKenandJohnsPOVselves?
Ofcourseitis,butthisdifferenceisonlymanifestedwhensomeoneisspeakingSpanishtous.Tosee
thiswecanaskWouldJohnknowifsomehowonewastodestroyalltheconnectionsinhisbrainthat
underliehisabilitytounderstandSpanish?Hewouldknowthiseventually,butonlythenexttime
someonestartstospeaktohiminSpanish.IwouldarguethathisPOVselfwouldnotblinktosucha
destructionunlessitwasinthemiddleofaconversationinSpanish.

ThisisnotreallyathoughtexperimentsincepeoplehavestrokesinWernicke'scorticalareaand
losetheabilitytounderstandspokenlanguage.If,whilehikingaloneinthewoods,Ihadastrokeinmy
Wernicke'sareaImayverywellnotrealizethatIhadlostanythinguntilIgothomeandmywifestarted
talkingtome.ThisiscrucialsinceitissayingthatrelyingonthecontinuityofmyPOVselfisavery
unreliablewaytojudgeifIhavelostsomethingthatIthinkeveryonewouldconsidertobeacrucialpart
ofthemselvestheirabilitytounderstandtheirnativelanguage.

Evenmoreconvincingarehemineglectpatientsthathavesufferedastroketoalargeregionof
theirrightparietalcortex.Thesepatientshavelostthewholeleftsideoftheirbodyandvisualworldbut
oftendonotappreciatethisloss.Ifweweretalkingtoawomanduringabrainsurgeryprocedureasking
hercontinuallyifshefeelsshehaslostanything,andthenweaccidentallyproducedsuchalesion,itis
quitepossiblethatshewouldrespondthatshefeelsasifnothingjusthappened.Thinkaboutthiswe
coulddisconnecttheentireleftsideofherphenomenalworld(throughalesionintheparietalcortex)
andshewouldnotrealizethatshehaslostanything.Thisshouldraiseseriousquestionsaboutthe
natureofthePOVself.OurintuitionassumesakindofomnisciencetoourPOVself(ourmomentto
momentconsciousness)thatsomehowincorporatesallthevariousmemoriesandabilitiesofthe
MEMself.Intruth,thePOVselfisactuallysomyopicthatitisoblivioustoallaspectsofourvastMEMself
thatarenotactivelyengagedatthecurrentmoment.

ThefamousCliveWearingcasedisplaysthisminutenessofthePOVselfevenmorestarkly.He
sufferedbraindamagesoextensivethathehaslostallhispreviousepisodicmemoriesandhaslostthe
abilitytoformanynewepisodicmemories.Helivesinaperpetualpresent.Hisnotebookisfilledwith
statementslikeItisnow5:05pm,ThisisthefirstmomentIhavebeenalive.Afewminuteslaterhewill
crossthisoutandwriteItisnow5:09pm,THISisREALLYthefirstmomentIhavebeenalive.Andthis
patterncontinuesforpageafterpage,notebookafternotebook.Heliterallydoesnotjudgehimselfas
beingconscious(atleastnotbeforethepresentmoment).Hehaslostthesenseofcontinuitythatis
centraltotheveryconceptofaself.Yetatothertimes,whenheisnotattemptingtoaccessepisodic
memories,hecanachieveaPOVselfstatethatappearsperfectlynormal.Forexample,ifyoucanget
himinthemiddleofatask(e.g.playingthepianoormakingsmalltalk)hewillactcompletelynormal
andseemstonotrealizethatheismissinganything.Itseemsthatduringsuchanengagingtask(not
involvingepisodicmemory)hisPOVselfisessentiallyidenticaltowhatitwasbeforehisbraindamage
occurred.Thinkaboutthis.Ifyou,gentlereader,wereengagedinplayingthepianoandsomeone
destroyedalltheneuralcircuitryencodingtheepisodicmemoriesofyourlife,thenyou(justlikeClive
Wearing)wouldnotknowthatsomethingwasmissinguntilyoustoppedplayingthepiano,atwhich
pointyouwouldattempttoaccessyourepisodicmemories,findnone,anddeclarethatthisisthefirst
momentyouhavebeenconscious!

Whataboutsuchselfdefiningqualitiesliketemperament?Imaygetfuriouslyangrywhen
someonecutsmeoffonthefreewaywhereasJohnmaycasuallydismisstheevent.However,thisisnot
duetoafundamentallongtermdifferenceinourPOVselves.Temperamentisnotafundamental
unchangingqualitywithinthePOVselfweallhavethecapacitytogetfuriouslyangry,andweallhave
timeswhenweareatease.Instead,itisduetoadifferenceinourperceptualandproceduralmemories
activatingtheangerneuronsinthisparticularsituationinmebutnotinJohn.Theoretically,onecould
modifytheperceptualandproceduralmemoriesthatactivateapersonsangerneuronsthuschanging
theirtemperamentfromcalmandlaidbacktoviolentandtemperamental.Wouldtheperson
immediatelyknowthedifference?No,notuntilsomethinghappened,e.g.apassingmotoristcutsthem
off,thattriggeredthemtoutteraviolentoutburstofprofanity.Atsuchatimetheymaysayto
themselves,Wow,whyamIsoangrytoday?Iamusuallymorelaidbackaboutthesethings.In
summary,yourtemperamentisnotalwayspresentinyourconsciousself;aneventisneededthatwill
eithertriggerangerornot,andthisresponsewillthenbecomparedtoyourstoreofdeclarativefacts
aboutyourself(e.g.Iamusuallylaidback.).

WhatIamtryingtoillustratewiththeseexamplesisjusthowminisculethecontentofour
POVselfisandhowwildlyvariableitis.IamcertainlynotsayingthatwecanexistwithoutourPOVself.
Insuchacasetherewouldbenoongoingactivityandsurelynoonehome.WhatIamsayingisthatwe
shouldnotbelookingforouruniquenessinthisPOVself.OurwiderangeofPOVselfstatesoverlaps
almostcompletelywiththoseofotherpeopleexceptinthosefewinstancesthatwecallupanepisodic
memorythatisuniquetoourpersonalhistory.

Theselfthatweandourlovedonesknowisaproductofourtiny,variable,nonuniquePOVself
beingsteereddownaparticularpathbytheenormousnumberofuniqueperceptual,declarative,and
proceduralmemoriesinourmassiveMEMself.OurintuitionthatthereisauniquepartofourPOVself
thatisnotsharedbyotherpeopleandthatdefinesbeingmeissimplyincompatiblewithourscientific
understandingofthebrainastheaboveexamplesshow.

Intheaboveterminology,thetechniqueofminduploadingseekstocopytheneuralcircuitry
encodingapersonsuniqueMEMselfandthensimulatethatpersonsbraingeneratinganewPOVself.
Thissimulationwillfeelfromtheinsidejustliketheoriginalbecausethesourceofourfeelingof
continuityofselfstemsfromourabilitytocallupouruniqueepisodicandselforienteddeclarative
memories.

Thesourceofourmistakenbelief:

Ofcoursethisexplanationbegsthequestionastowhywefeelsostronglythatthereisa
uniquenesstoourinstantaneousPOVself,andwhywetendtoidentifyourtrueselfwithitandnot
withourtrulyuniqueMEMself.Ibelievetheanswertothisriddleisthatoursenseofselfisbasedona
typeofcognitiveillusionquitesimilarinnaturetowellstudiedperceptualillusions.Caseinpointisthe
wellknownperceptualillusioninvolvingourperipheralvision.Theretinainoureyeisdesignedsuchthat
onlyatinyregioninthecenter,thefovea,hashighacuity.Thismeansthatwecanonlydistinguishfine
detailinthetinycentralregionofourvisualfield,abouttwicethewidthofourthumbnailatarms
length.Yetuntilwearetoldthisfactandtestitforourselvesitseemsforalltheworldthatweseethe
entirevisualfieldingreatdetail.Demonstrationofthisfactisoftenaccomplishedbylookingstraight
aheadwhilebringingaplayingcardinyouroutstretchedhandfromtheperipherytowardcentralvision
andseeinghowlongittakestoidentifythecard.Itisshockinghowclosetocentralvisionthecardmust
bebroughtinordertoidentifyit.Theincrediblystrongintuitionthatweseeourentirevisualfieldin
uniformdetailisthusmerelyaperceptualillusion.

Whatisoftennotaskediswhywehavesuchanincorrectintuitioninthefirstplace.Thedeep
answertothisquestionisthatitisbuiltintousbynaturalselectionforapracticalpurpose.Normallywe
canaccessdetailsinanypartofourvisualfield,includingtheperiphery,within300millisecondsby
simplymovingoureyes.Ourphenomenalselfmodel(Metzinger,2003,Metzinger,2009)encodesthis
fact(i.e.thefactthatwehavequickaccessthrougheyemovements)throughthephenomenal
experienceofclarityoftheentirevisualfield.Incontrast,ifpartofourvisualfieldistrulyblurredor
obstructed(saybyabadpairofglasses)thisisencodedbyourphenomenalselfmodelthroughthe
experienceofblurriness.

Unfortunatelythepresentessayistooshorttogointothedetailsofthisphenomenalselfmodel
(PSM),butthisconceptiscrucialnonetheless.ThePSMisthebrainsrepresentationalcontent
underlyingoursenseofconsciousawareness(seeMetzinger2009foramoredetailedexposition).The
PSMisacontinuallyupdatedsimulationoftheself(encodedinthefiringsofparticularneuronsinour
brain)whichdescribesexactlywhatitisliketobeus.ThePSMdescribesasingleunitaryselfwitha
particularpointofviewexperiencingperceptualqualiaandemotionalfeelings,havingdesiresandgoals,
reasoning,makingdecisions,andtakingactionsintheworld.Thebrainasawholeusesthecontentsof
thePSMtointelligentlyguidebehaviorinanintegratedfashion;assuchitisoneofthebestinventions
thatevolutionhasbuiltintothehumananimal.Theconsciousselfweexperienceistheonedescribedin
ourbrainsPSM.

Theillusionofclarityacrosstheentirevisualfieldcanultimatelybetracedbacktoasimple
statementinthePSMthatsaysTheentirevisualfieldlooksclearanddetailed.Thisstatementisuseful
tohaveinthePSMsinceittellstherestofthebrainthatithasquickandeasyaccesstotheentirevisual
fieldthrougheyemovements.However,wedo,andshould,findthisexplanationdisturbing.Whenyou
standontopofamountainlookingoutataforestfullofhundredsoftreeseachwiththousandsof
leavesandexperiencearushofvisualclarityandcomplexity,whereisthisfeelingofclarityandvisual
complexitycomingfrom?Theimplicationisthatthisinstantaneousfeelingofvisualclarityand
complexityisnotbasedonthebrainencodingthemillionsofvisualdetailsoftheforestscene;itis
insteadbasedonaverytinystatementinthePSMsayingTheentirevisualfieldlooksclearand
detailed.Youmayfindthisfactdifficulttoswallow,butithasbeenverifiedthroughcountless
experimentsinvisualpsychology.

Nowbacktooursenseofself.Istatedabovethatoursenseofselfisbasedonatypeof
cognitiveillusionquitesimilarinnaturetotheperceptualillusionthatweseeclearlyallthewayoutto
ourperiphery.WhatImeanbythisisthatitseemstousthattheepisodicmemoriesofourlife
experiencesandselforienteddeclarativememorieslikeourname,ourlikesanddislikes,our
temperament,etc.aresomehowalwayspresentinthehereandnow.However,givenwhatsciencehas
discoveredabouttheattentionlimitationsofthebrainweknowthatthiscannotbetrueonlyoneora
fewdeclarativeandepisodicmemoriescanbeactiveinthebrainatanyonetime.Liketheperceptual
illusiondescribedabove,thisillusoryinflationofselfmaybebasedonasimplestatementinthePSM
thatsaysAlltheuniqueepisodicanddeclarativememoriesthatsetmeapartfromotherpeopleare
presentinthehereandnow.

Tosummarize,weincorrectlyassociateourtrueselfwithourinstantaneousPOVselfbasedon
theintuitionthatthereisauniquebeingMequalepresentatalltimesinourconsciousness.Our
intuitionforthisuniquebeingMequaleisbasedonthefactthatwecanquicklyaccessanypartofour
episodicmemory,andourPSMisbuilttoreflectthisfactgivingustheillusoryfeelingofcontinualaccess
tovastamountsofselfknowledge.ThisillusoryfeelingisourbeingMequale,butitisnowayunique
toaparticularperson.Itisahollowplaceholderpointingtoourtrulyuniqueandvastquantityof
inactiveinformationthatisourMEMself.

Goodphilosophyandthephilosophyofgood:

Sciencegivesusonlyfactsnotvaluejudgments.Itisuptoeachofustodecidewhatweshould
identifyasourtrueself,andthiswillinturnguideouropinionofwhetherminduploadingispersonally
desirable.Iarguethatweareleftwithtwoalternativephilosophieswhicharecompatiblewiththe
abovefacts:1.)Wecanidentifyourtrueselfwithourtrulyuniquesetofmillionsofperceptual,
declarative,andproceduralmemoriescomprisingourMEMself.Inthiscase,brainpreservationand
minduploadingrepresentarealcureforpersonaldeath.2.)Wecanidentifyourtrueselfwithour
nonuniquePOVself,changingfromcircumstancetocircumstancelikealeafinthewind.Thecore
unchangingaspectsofthisPOVself(thefactthatthereisaconsciouspointofview)wesharewithall
otherhumanbeings.Fromsuchaperspectivepersonaldeathbecomesmeaninglesswetrulyareeach
other,itisjustanillusionthatwearefundamentallydifferent.Thisthought,derivedfrombasic
neurosciencefacts,obviouslyhasparallelsinEasternreligiousphilosophies.Forexample,theAdvaita
VedantaschoolofHinduphilosophystatesthatenlightenmentisreachedwhenonerealizesthatones
Atman(self)isinfactidenticaltoallotherselvesandisBrahman(God).Themoralimplicationsofthis
philosophyshouldbeclear,treatyourneighborasyouwouldyourself,notbecauseGodtellsyoutoo
butbecausetheyreallyareyou.

Thereisathirdalternativetotheabovetwophilosophiesanappreciationthatbotharecorrect
anditisjustpersonalpreferencehowweweightthetwo.Ipersonallysubscribetothisphilosophy
becauseitallowsonetoappreciatethespecialnessofeverypersonwhilesimultaneouslyfeelinga
strongspiritualbondwithallofhumanity.Wecanappreciatethateachpersonisabsolutelyunique
theproductofdistinctexperiencesthroughouttheirlifethatwillinsurethatthepaththeirthoughtsand
actionstakeinanygivencircumstancewillbefundamentallydifferentthananothersinthatsame
situation.Atthesametimethisphilosophyprovidesascientificjustificationforourfundamentalmoral
intuitionsIknowitiswrongtohurtanotherbecauseIknowitiswrongtohurtme.

Implicationsforminduploading:

Whenpeoplediscusswhatfidelityofcopyingandsimulationwouldbenecessaryforasuccessful
mindupload(i.e.onethatisstillme)theyoftendontknowwheretostart.Ithinkthisismainlydueto
thefalseintuitionIhavebeendiscussingabovetheintuitionthatthereisabeingMequalepresent
ateverymomentinourfirstpersonconsciousexperience(nomatterwhatactweareengagedinor
whatourcurrentfeelingsare).TheyinsistthatthisbeingMEqualeisdifferentfromallotherpersons
anddefinetheirtrueselfasthisbeingMequalesomethingthatdoesntreallyexistinthefirstplace.

Becauseofthisfalseandmisleadingintuition,manypeopledeclaretheentireminduploading
endeavorimpossible.Oneoftenstatedargumentagainstminduploadingisthatitwouldseemto
logicallyimplythatonecouldalsocreatemultiplecopiesofaperson.Infactitdoesimplythatmultiple
simultaneouscopiesofanindividualarepossible.Intheabovelanguage,thesecopieswouldstartout
withidenticalMEMselvesbutwouldhavedifferentmomenttomomentPOVselvesbecauseoftheir
experiencingtheworldthroughdifferentbodies.Overtimedifferentexperienceswouldresultin
differencesbetweenthecopiesMEMselvesaswell.Whendothetwocopiesbecomereallyseparate
individuals?Thereisnorealanswertothis,itdependsentirelyonhowoneweightsthetwophilosophies
describedabove.

OneshouldnotunderestimatethedeeplycounterintuitivenatureoftheargumentIammaking
here.Itcallsintoquestiontheverylogicbehindoursenseofself.Toseethisconsiderthefollowing
thoughtexperiment:Aresearcherhasjustcreatedaperfectcopymachine,abletomakeamoleculefor
moleculecopyofanindividual.Theresearcherwishestousethisdevicetoperformanexperimentto
seeifhumanbeingsarefundamentallyillogical.Johnvolunteerstobethetestsubjectinthe
experiment.TheresearcherfirstsitsJohndowninachairandthenproceedstopokeJohninthearm
withabigpin.Johnscreamsinpain,pullshisarmaway,getsreallymadattheresearcher,andtellshim
nottodothatagain.TheresearcherexplainstoJohnthisispartoftheexperimentthatheagreedto.
TheresearcherthenasksJohnwhyhegotmadatbeingpokedinthearm.JohnsimplyexplainsIthurt.

TheresearcherthensaysJohn,Iamgoingtopokeyouinthearmagaintenminutesfromnow.
Howdoyoufeelaboutthat?Johnstartstogetreallyupsetandsaysthathefeelsanxiousandmadthat
hewillbepokedinthearm.TheresearcherasksJohnwhyheisfeelinganxiousandmadaboutanevent
thatwillonlyhappentohisfutureself.John,whydoyoucareifIpokeyourfutureselfinthearm?
Johnresponds,Well,Ifeelconnectedtomyfutureself.Thatfutureselfisme,andifitfeelspainthenI
willfeelpain.TenminuteslateJohngetspokedagain.

NexttheresearcherinformsJohnthatheisgoingtobeputthroughtheperfectcopyingmachine
andanexactreplicaofhim,John#2willbecreated.Beingoneoftheengineerswhobuiltthisperfect
copymachine,Johnunderstandsitsworkingsinsideandoutandknowsthatitwillindeedcreatean
exactcopy.Beforethisprocedureisperformed,theresearcherinformsJohnthatafterthecopying
procedureiscompletethatheisgoingtopokeoneofthetwoJohnsinthearmagain.Theresearcher
asks,WhichJohnshouldIpoke,John#1(theoriginal)orJohn#2?Johnthinkshardaboutthis.Well,I
knowthattherewillbenophysicaldifferencebetweenmyself,errImeanJohn#1,andthecopyJohn
#2.Suretheywillbemadeoutofdifferentatomsbutthatfactisinconsequentialsinceouratomsare
continuallybeingreplacedbysimplemetabolismanyway.Iguesstheonlylogicalansweristhatitdoes
notmatterwhichJohnyoupokeaftertheprocedure,althoughofcourseIwouldpreferyounottopoke
eitherofus.

Johnismomentarilyrenderedunconsciousandthecopyingprocedureisperformedproducing
John#2.John#1andJohn#2areawokenandtheresearcherasks,So,whichofyouthinksheisthe
original?AbackandforthdebateensuesbetweenthetwoJohns,butquicklytheycometothesame
conclusion:Welldoc,weseemtohavethesamememories,personality,andreasoningskills,saysone
John.Thatsright,weareexactlythesameexceptfortrivialthingslikemebeingontherightsideof
theroomandhimbeingontheleftsaystheotherJohn.SoIguesswewouldbothagreethatitdoesnt
reallymatterwhichoneistheoriginal.JustcallusJohnAandJohnB.
 Great,saystheresearcherwhothenturnstoJohnA.Iamgoingtopokeyouinthearmten
minutesfromnow.HowdoyoufeelaboutthisJohnA?JohnArecoilsbackandsayssoberlyWellIam
afraidthatitwillhurtme.TurningtoJohnBtheresearcherasks,Andhowdoyoufeelaboutme
pokingJohnAinthearmJohnB?EventhoughJohnBtriestohidehisemotionsheisvisiblyrelieved
thathewillnotbegettingpoked.Well,IamconcernedaboutJohnAthewayIwouldbeaboutaclose
brother.Icertainlywishthatyouwouldnotpokehim.JohnBpausesandthenaltruisticallyoffersthe
followingInfact,whydontyoujustpokemeinstead.

Theresearchersmiles,Youtwohavejustdemonstratedhowhumansarefundamentally
illogicalwhenitcomestotheideaoftheself.WhenIaskedtheoriginalJohnbeforethecopying
procedurewhichpersonIshouldpokeaftertheprocedure,hecorrectlysaidthatitmakesnodifference.
Thephysicalsymmetryofthesituationleftnootherconclusion.Therewasnophysicalbasisforhimto
relatemorestronglytoonevs.theother.HoweverwhenIjustnowaskedhimagainthissamequestion
hegaveatotallydifferentresponse,eventhoughvirtuallythesamesymmetryappliedonlytrivial
differencesseparatethetwoofyou.Thereisnophysicalbasisforyou,JohnA,torelatemorestronglyto
JohnAtenminutesfromnowthantoJohnBtenminutesfromnow.Yetpredictablyyou,JohnA,are
viscerallycompelledtofeelmoreconnectedtoJohnAinthefutureseeminglysimplybecauseyoushare
thesameatomswithhimafactthatyoupreviouslyadmittedshouldbeconsideredinconsequential.

Wemustrememberthatourinstinctsandfeelingsweredesignedbynaturalselectionwithout
anyregardforoveralllogicalconsistency.Evolutionhasbuiltintousastronginstinctforself
preservation,andovertheentirecourseofourevolutionthisselfhasbeensynonymouswiththe
singlephysicalbodywecurrentlyoccupyprotectitsfutureandyouprotectyourgenes.Infact,itis
likelythatevolutionhasbuiltintousasetofinstinctsandintuitionsthatgreatlyexaggeratethereal
differencesbetweenindividualssincethosegenesthathappentoexaggeratesuchselfishinstinctsare
morelikelytohelpcompetitionandthusbepassedon.

Wehaveneverfacedasituationremotelylikeminduploadinginwhichweshouldlogically
identifyasstronglywithafuturecopyofourselfasweshouldwithourfutureself(althoughthestrong
bondofaparenttoachildmightbeanapproximation).Manypeopletaketheirintuitionaboutthis
situation,i.e.thatweseemtonotbeabletoidentifyasstronglywithanexactcopyofourselfthatis
sittingacrosstheroomaswedowithourphysicalself,asproofthatminduploadingwillnotwork.
Howeverthislogicisflawed.Itisassumingthatourintuitioniscorrect,andthenreasoningfromthis
intuition.Thisreasoningisfaultyinthesamewaythatitwouldbefaultytoreasonthatthesunrevolves
aroundtheearthbecauseitseemsthatwaytous.Wemustacceptthatourintuitionsaboutthe
natureoftheselfcanbeasflawedasourintuitionsaboutthenatureofthesolarsystem.Infactthelast
hundredyearsofcognitivescienceresearchhasbeenahistoryofoverturnedintuitionsaboutthenature
oftheself.

Conclusion:

Thisessayhastouchedonsomeveryabstractandesotericphilosophicalthemes,butitis
importanttorememberthatthisisnotmerelyanacademicdebateaboutthenatureoftheselfitisa
reallifeanddeathissue.Thetechnologytopreserveonesbrainisherealreadysoanyonereadingthese
wordspotentiallyhastheopportunitytoexperienceminduploadingfirsthandandseethefuture
hundredsofyearsfromnow.Howeverifyou,gentlereader,decideforyourselfthatyouwishtohave
yourbrainpreservedandparticipateinthisgreatestadventureimaginableyouwillfind,asIhave,that
yourabilitytodosoisbeingblockedateveryturn.

Fundingforbrainpreservationresearchisvirtuallynonexistentandonlyahandfulof
researchersworldwideareseriouslypursuingit.Itisillegaltostartabrainpreservationprocedure
beforelegaldeathhasbeendeclared,arequirementwhichdrasticallydiminishesthequalityof
preservation.Nohospitalissetuptoperformabrainpreservationprocedure,andonlyahandfulof
unregulatedcryonicsorganizationscurrentlyperformsuchprocedures(requiringdecadesof
untrustworthylowtemperaturestorage).Thesurgicaltechniquesemployedbythesecryonics
organizationshavenotbeenverifiedinopenscientificjournalstopreservethestructureofneural
circuitsacrossawholebrain.Thuseventhoughthetechnologyforqualitybrainpreservationisin
principleheretoday,itisvirtuallyimpossibletogetonesbrainpreserved.

Ibelievethislackofresearchinterestandhostilelegalenvironmentcanbetraceddirectlyback
tothebadphilosophyIhavebeendiscussinginthisessay.Ourfaultyintuitionsabouttheselfareso
deeplyembeddedintousbyevolutionthateventhemajorityofscientistsarenotimmune.Our
currentlyacceptedcognitiveandneurosciencemodelsofthebrainunequivocallysupportthefeasibility
ofminduploading,andmuchofthetechnologynecessaryforminduploadingisinexistenceinprimitive
formtoday.Whythenhasthescientificcommunitynotembracedminduploadingasacureforpersonal
death?Ibelievetheansweristhattheysimplyhavenotcarefullyconsideredallofthearguments.

Withcarefulconsiderationandwhenpresentedwithoverwhelmingscientificevidence,wehave
learnedinthepasttodisregardevenourmostpowerfulintuitions.Whenwelookupatthesunmoving
acrosstheskywecannowoverrideournaveintuitionsandfeeltheearthrotatingunderourfeet.
Similarly,whenonecarefullystudiesandconsidersthebodyofcognitiveandneurosciencedata
amassedoverthelastcentury,onecanbegintoviscerallyacceptthatwearephysicalmachines.Wecan
begintofeelourfundamentalcomputationalnature,andfeelthetinycapacitybothofourvisual
fieldaswellasourmomenttomomentself.I,forone,feelasprotectiveofmyfutureuploadedselfasI
domyfuturephysicalself.Ilookforwardtoexperiencingtheworld100yearsfromnowinarobotic
body,andIwillfightformyrighttodosojustasIwouldfightformyrighttoundergoanysurgical
procedurethatcouldsavemylife.

Myhopeisthatmanyotherintelligent,freethinkingindividualswillcarefullyevaluatethe
evidencethatminduploadingisapotentialcurefordeath.Ifenoughpeopledosothenour
grandchildrenahundredyearsfromnowwillnotbesayingthatwewerekilledbyourbadphilosophy,
theywillinsteadbewelcomingusintotheirworld.
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