There is a certain public misconception, bolstered largely by Hollywood, that, in a few years' time, we'll all be able to transfer our consciousnesses into a robot body.
I offer up some arguments as to why that is unlikely ever to happen.
First off, the technology argument.
- The human brain is an incredibly complex machine, with something on the order of 100-billion synapses--the tiny components that store information. It is all arranged in a roughly hemispherical shape. To transfer all of that data, the brain must be scanned. The only way in which we can scan below the surface layer is to remove that layer. Thus, it must be a destructive process. Second, it must occur immediately after death, and not take too long, lest we lose information. I imagine that the process would, in implementation, be similar to that depicted in the television series Upload.
- The technology for scanning the brain hasn't been invented yet and, given the current advance of technology, won't likely be for at least another hundred years.
- In order for this to work, you will need a computer. If you are to be conscious, then this computer must be capable of consciousness itself--or figure out how to simulate it. It must also have a tremendous amount of storage space. We've barely scratched the surface of understanding consciousness; and, again, its implementation is likely to be in excess of 100 years away.
Second, the pragmatic argument.
- All of the above presumes that you will die, and then, after a brief pause, you will regain consciousness in a computer-generated environment. I don't believe that. I believe that consciousness is tied to the physical domain it occupies. When you die, it's game over for you. You will never regain consciousness again. What will regain consciousness will have all of your memories and experiences--but it won't be you. It will be like a You II.
Finally, a thought experiment--one of Einstein's Gedankenexperiments.
Imagine this scenario:
You die, and your brain is scanned. The results are then fed into a network of ten computers, each of which will host a new you. The network signals arrive at the computers simultaneously.
My question is: In which computer will you wake up in? All of them at once? That would be mightily confusing.
Until you can answer that question with a valid argument, the answer is: "It ain't gonna happen anytime soon."
Are you really enthusiastic about your life carrying on without you?
Because that's about the best science will be able to do for about a thousand years.
Be well,
-Bill
