LS Re: Instant cloning

From: Keith A. Gillette (keith.gillette@usa.net)
Date: Thu Feb 11 1999 - 16:31:42 GMT


Keith wakes up and finds himself transported into a whole new forum!

BEAM ME UP!

Magnus asks the question of whether or not I would take a ride on a
teleportation system. Given that the teleportation system does *not* employ
the DNA cloning technique Magnus describes (which sounds as though it would
regrow my body, but leave me without the benefit of my experience) but
instead somehow tries to make a high fidelity copy of me in my current
state, I would answer the question in the affirmative. Beam me up!

WHO, ME?

As Bodvar and others have already pointed out, Magnus's question asks us to
inquire into the nature of the self. To know whether or not I would want to
be teleported, I must know what I am so I can foretell what effects that
teleportation might have on me. In her posting of February 7, Diana
summarizes Pirsig's view of the self as a "convergence of patterns". I
think this is the most useful understanding of the self.

What does the definition of me as a convergence of patterns tell us about
teleportation? Importantly, I think, it tells me that I am not the physical
collection of particles in my body. Some scientists estimate that our
collection of atoms turns over every 7 years. Like the ship of Theseus
being rebuilt plank by plank, every single atom in our body is replaced on
that schedule. What then persists to keep our self-identity? I argue that
it's the patterns that persist through that change. Not the particles, but
their configuration is the important part. This is in agreement with
Roger's most recent post of February 10th, which contains much with which I
agree.

So, assuming that these patterns can be reproduced or transmitted or
displaced from one point to another without a perceptible loss of
information, I don't see any reason why not to step into the transporter
beam. Now, it's a scientific question whether or not such a transmission of
patterns is possible. If it is, though, I don't see how moving my pattern
through spacetime with the aid of a transporter beam presents any greater
philosophical problems than moving my pattern through spacetime with the
aid of my feet.

THE MOQ ME

If I'm understanding their posts properly, some have argued that in order
for them to feel comfortable with teleportation, they would have to copy
over their biological, social, and intellectual patterns, too. While I
accept this, there's a sense in which I believe it represents a
misunderstanding of the four levels. To say that these patterns need to be
copied over separately implies that the levels have independent existence.
While they exist just as much as physical patterns, they are merely
manifestations of the same fundamental Quality. The levels operate
independently, but are each dependent upon and composed of the underlying
patterns. Bruce makes a point along these lines when he denies the
separation of the mind from the body in his post of February 6, as does
Pete in his post of February 8 in talking about the the dependence of
consciousness on the lower levels. In my view, the mind is an emergent
property of the biological operation of the brain. Higher level patterns
are immanent in the systems which underly them and therefore a proper
copying of the underlying pattern should reproduce the higher level
patterns in turn.

THE MYSTIC ME

Magnus among others has raised an objection to teleportation along the
lines that a copy would be of static patterns only, not Dynamic quality. I
think this is to misunderstand Dynamic Quality. It is to treat Dynamic
Quality as a thing separate and apart from the static patterns we can name.
I don't believe that it is. I think Dynamic Quality is an epistemic
principle that reminds us that our intellectual understanding of the world
is necessarily incomplete. Dynamic Quality is not some "thing" that we can
copy or not copy, it is merely a recognition that our words do not fully
capture reality.

A copy of a computer program or a videotape or a compact disc is no more or
less dynamic than the "original". It's just a copy, with the same
characteristics and potentiality as the original. Similarly, I think a copy
of any pattern, if done accurately and in the same medium, will be
equivalent to the original. It will have the same "Dynamic Quality" as the
original because it is a reproduction of the same (undefined) "stuff" as
the original. Or more precisely, it is an embodiment of the same pattern.

SIGNING OFF

In summary, it seems to me that the MOQ does not preclude the possibility
of teleportation, and, in fact, provides a welcoming metaphysical basis for
the issue. By rejecting the mind/matter dualism in favor of the concept of
patterns, it removes the most common objections to teleportation--the
irreproducible, non-material, human 'soul' or body-independent 'mind'.
Whether or not such a system can actually be made is a scientific
consideration, but at first pass, I don't see a pre-emptive metaphysical
objection to it.

Cheers,
Keith

______________________________________________________________________
Keith A. Gillette <http://detling.dorm.org/gillette/>

MOQ Online - http://www.moq.org



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