uploading human intelligence and memories to a computer?

Question

Serious scientific study is going on to upload human memories and intelligence into a computer before death occurs. Since this is going on, it would mean that many scientists dont share the opinion that when you die your dead and everything you are goes with you. If this is correct, then science does believe you can live on after death forever. And in effect, would this not be a GHOST in the machine. would your spirit not be alive after death? after all it would be your intelligence and life merging with a machine.

ASU for one

if you look up the terms of research into this subject, there are a lot of terms about uploading a soul as well. If your interested in learning more, just use your search engine. Its astounding about the theories and research. estimates are in as little as 50 years.

http://www.transtopia.org/uploading.html

there are links to sites in research here as well as an over about uploading human intelligence to a computer.

overview, sorry guys, the lap top key need a good cleaning

Answer 1

People say that our bodies are just "shells" that our spirit abides in. (I'm sure our bodies can do a lot more than a robot body can do.) For one thing...how much does love have to do with our brains? Actually, that's kinda what computers do, isn't it? We're talking with each other. One of you could be a robot and we don't know it. Heck! Maybe you ALL are robots and I'm the only one with an earthly body!!! "nuff"...bring me back to REALITY!!!! lol...you're going too far out for me!! I'll have to give this more thought before I go too far out!!! lol

EDIT jenna...I google it and it's Stephen Hawkings.. not Hawkins. I didn't know either. Thought you might want to know this.
nuff...if all the robot has is a person's brain...unless it has the ability to "learn"...it would be out of date soon. It would be no more important than a computer. If they just want to record history...we have computers and books already. What would be the added benefit of a robot with a "brain".?
EDIT....nuff...I guess the benefit would be that the scientists wouldn't have to "record" everything they knew....they could just donate their brains to this experiment.

Answer 2

Your questions are great nuff...It's like you are searching for that link between spirit and matter. I don't know how many times I watched the manga movie "Ghost in a Shell" & part II; love it.

I've previously thought about this and what I found interesting was on how to actually encapsulate the soul (memories & intelligence) to live in the computer. Our soul is written in our DNA, so a possible way to do this would be to create a computer program that has it's own DNA (discreet mathematics?) sequence to follow. For this to be successful, we would need to understand the world of spirit so that the soul would be able to perform the same function as it would if it were not stuck in a machine. To me a computer is already a mimic of a human being - it's been programmed to perform certain functions, just like a human - breathe, eat, sleep, retain memories, etc. So transferring this to a computer that already understands the soul's function would probably do the trick.

Answer 3

This is an interesting idea. I would like to see who exactly is studying this. Would you mind posting a citation?

If scientists wish to upload memories and intelligence then it seems like they are attempting to duplicate the information and ability of the human brain. This in no way addresses the question or belief in life after death. (Isn't it a bit disingenuous to equate investigation of a subject with belief in the subject.) Furthermore, memories and intelligence doesn't equal life after death any more than genetic cloning would result in two beings with an identical sense of humor. It's nothing more than a transfer of data. Lastly, when the memory data and intelligence capability were uploaded into the computer, it would then belong to that computer to do with as it was programmed. It would no longer be the person whom it was harvested from.

Answer 4

It all depends on your point of veiw, doesn't it?
Is a person's soul more than the the memories the person has.
Is there some biological component that truely makes a person.
Can machines feel, not just the mechanical feed back that would describe pain (disfunction), but also emotions?
So would a set of uploaded memories be little more than a personallity construct? Can such a construct be considered human?
Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Answer 5

I think people who think that by transferring your memories and intelligence into a computer before death will mean that you're alive in the computer are partially insane.
It would definitely just be a "ghost" of that person's personality. Lights and Clockwork.Nothing but megabytes and C++.

Answer 6

i did a quick search on this and came up with this quote
In three-hundred years there might be a machine intelligence in total possession of my memories, attitudes and convictions (see post below). Will this silicon-based successor be me in any real sense? That depends on the "physics of consciousness"

Answer 7

There is a different between your thoughts and recollections then your actual spirit, as seen by the religious community. Brain patterns do not make up a spirit. It is a whole lot more to it then that.

Answer 8

There is an episode of outer limits where a guy who is terminal uploads his whole brain and emotions into his computer and his wife can still keep in contact with him after he dies.
It is weird but worth watching.

I believe Steven Hawkins is in the process of attempting this.

Answer 9

I think if this could be done.It would be uploading a personslity not a spirit.It could be these scientists see us as Biological machines.And themselves, uploading data from one type of machine to another.