The Dilemma of Teleportation
#1
Posted 20 May 2010 - 02:46
#2
Posted 20 May 2010 - 02:56
You'd encounter the same dilemma if you tried to transfer your memories.
Existence is consciousness. If you cease to exist, you cease to be conscious, even if this is for a brief moment.
#3
Posted 20 May 2010 - 02:58
#4
Posted 20 May 2010 - 03:16
#5
Posted 20 May 2010 - 07:03
#6
Posted 20 May 2010 - 07:12
Edited by Alias, 20 May 2010 - 07:13.
#7
Posted 20 May 2010 - 07:23
If the "teleporter" is built to only create a copy at the destination and erase the original then obviously only a copy will arrive. If the teleporter is an actual teleporter, then obviously the problem doesn't exist.
Seeing how science doesn't even remotely understand what consciousness is and how it is connected to our squishy bits we really can't speculate on the feasibility of modifying, storing or transporting it in any way.
If you're aiming for the question whether a thing is defined by shape or history, that applies to pretty much everything else so you really don't have to come up with an ill-defined situation like teleporting. For example, I'm 100% positive that none of the matter I was composed of 5 years ago or earlier still remains in my body, therefore making me a gradual copy of my "past self". Yet I would say to be still me but not the same person.
Argetlam, on 20 May 2010, 7:03, said:
Edited by Golan, 20 May 2010 - 07:29.
#8
Posted 20 May 2010 - 09:56
AllStarZ, on 20 May 2010, 4:56, said:
You'd encounter the same dilemma if you tried to transfer your memories.
Existence is consciousness. If you cease to exist, you cease to be conscious, even if this is for a brief moment.
Your consciousness is the everlasting process of neurons firing in your brain. There is no difference between our and an animals brain there, its only that we have additional complexity which enables what we call 'consciousness'. However its still the same basic principle. The teleportation device would essentially have to 'rebuild' you like in Star Trek perhaps. The difference between teleporting matter and energy is very important. If you can teleport matter and energy on the very same way and keep them in the very same state when 'inputting' and 'outputting' and not taking more than the slightest moments, then neuron charges who were 'on the way' when the teleportation initiated, may reach their destination when the teleportation ends, and thus your consciousness would continue. Teleportation would have to be instant. There is my problem with Star Trek transporters. The states of the first 'energized' parts of your body are different than those of the last, so I don't see how they can be combined back into a working individual without creating some ''out of sync'' problems.
This may make teleportation even more difficult, but I actually think that even IF it is possible, then transporting energy wouldn't have to be so much of a problem. After all, the electronic pulses in your nerve system are just the raised energy state of electrons in your body. They should technically be transported without losing that energy. The device will anyway have to make sure any teleported object/organism retains its molecular energy (heat) to keep it alive (or shall I say in one piece) or it will end up at the output at the absolute minimum temperature. I'm not sure what would happen then.
Teleportation in the form as seen in The Prestige, is a higher dilemma. That movie puts it down on luck if your consciousness gets transported into the clone or not.
Edited by Trivmvirate, 20 May 2010 - 10:01.
#9
Posted 20 May 2010 - 15:55
Alias, on 20 May 2010, 5:16, said:
What exactly is transhumanism?
Please don't wikipedia link, I don't wanna be drowned in philosobabble wall-of-texts.
Ontopic: Hmm, teleportation, I guess the person on the other side wouldn't be you, or maybee it would, can't really decide. Kinda like "The 6th Day" eh?
Quote
Imagine a group of people who are all blind, deaf and slightly demented and suddenly someone in the crowd asks, "What are we to do?"... The only possible answer is, "Look for a cure". Until you are cured, there is nothing you can do.
And since you don't believe you are sick, there can be no cure.
- Vladimir Solovyov
#10
#11
Posted 20 May 2010 - 17:26
Because we are so good at saving each other when nature would have let us die/not procreate, Human evolution isn't what it used to be. Instead, we will rely on technology and perhaps genetic modification in order to actually keep up to for example viruses and bacteria (a form of life of which we enhanced evolution, so theres a double timer on it)
#12
Posted 20 May 2010 - 21:00
The brave hide behind technology. The stupid hide from it. The clever have technology, and hide it.
—The Book of Cataclysm
#13
Posted 20 May 2010 - 21:47
#14
Posted 20 May 2010 - 22:25
Steam: Jinz
X-Fire: jinrenegade
#15
Posted 21 May 2010 - 06:32
Golan, on 20 May 2010, 23:47, said:
The brave hide behind technology. The stupid hide from it. The clever have technology, and hide it.
—The Book of Cataclysm
#16
Posted 21 May 2010 - 14:11
#17
Posted 21 May 2010 - 14:11
#18
Posted 21 May 2010 - 22:36
19681107
#19
Posted 23 February 2011 - 19:08
Teleportation is completely based off risk/reward and cost/benefit anaylsis. Almost all commercial products were once invented by or for the military. And a military runs like a business, there is a research department that works on improving the quality and/or speed of the main employees work. If they do not come up with good results after a period of time, or the risk is greater than the reward, the company will can or postpone the project. We are no where near teleportation (to my sarcastically vast knowledge).
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