Slawek wrote:
>- identity
> > issues come up not only in the context of uploading but in general
>when we
> > envision radical transformations of ourselves.
>
>I've already posted my initial attempt at solving the identity issue.
>In fact, I would love to know whether my arguments and conclusions
>make any sense to you.
I'm want to chicken out on this and postpone getting into the issue in
depth until we possibly get to it later in the FAQ. There is a vast
academic literature on what constitutes a person and the conditions for
preservation of personal identity. For example, one could start by reading
Derek Parfit on personal identity (he draws a distinction between
preservation of personal identity and survival), and Harry Frankfurt on the
concept of a person, and then read their critics and the debates that have
arisen around their work. (I'm not aware of any peer-reviewed publication
by Kurzweil on this topic, so he might not be the best place to start.)
Nick Bostrom
Department of Philosophy, Yale University
New Haven, CT 06520 | Phone: (203) 500-0021 | Fax: (203) 432-7950
Homepage: http://www.nickbostrom.com
Received on Thu Oct 17 19:09:35 2002
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