On Jul 4, 2007, at 3:17 PM, Tom McCabe wrote:
--- Randall Randall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
On Jul 4, 2007, at 1:14 AM, Tom McCabe wrote:
That definition isn't accurate, because it doesn't
match what we intuitively see as 'death'. 'Death'
is
actually fairly easy to define, compared to "good"
or
even "truth"; I would define it as the permanent
destruction of a large portion of the information
that
makes up a sentient being's mind.
I would say that 'life' is a process, and that
the cessation of the process is death.
So, we die whenever we're put under anesthesia?
No, I don't think so.
That
seems to contradict the reports of everyone who's had
surgery.
If I *did* think so (and I don't), why would that
make a difference? If a copy of me was created, he
would certainly feel like he was me; I don't think
anyone disputes that.
I don't
happen to agree with Heartland that the process
is summed up by electrical activity in the brain.
The information that describes a person's mind is
a description of the person, not the person.
So, then, er, what is the person?
The process. Already answered above. :)
The traditional next step is for you to ask a bunch
of penetrating questions about edge cases, and while
I might have firm opinions about some of them, there
are going to be many I don't. So let me short circuit
that by stating up front that I'm not sure exactly
what constitutes cessation of the process, any more
than I know exactly where red stops and yellow begins
in a spectrum. For example, I do not know if cooling
to liquid nitrogen temperatures and subsequent
resuscitation ends the process, as I would see it.
--
Randall Randall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"If we have matter duplicators, will each of us be a sovereign
and possess a hydrogen bomb?" -- Jerry Pournelle
-----
This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email
To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to:
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=4007604&id_secret=11376051-c892f0
