Colin is an old man with a lot of wisdom.
He works at a secret research building, part of which is completely
sealed. The sealed portion includes a greenhouse where they grow the food.
The same biomass is continually reused, going from carbon dioxide
in the air, to the food plants which take the carbon during photosynthesis,
to the test subject who is
the only person in the sealed portion of the building.
The test subject is a young man named Winston,
who was cloned and brought up in the building,
never having been outside.
He eats only plants grown there, completing the
carbon cycle as he exhales carbon dioxide for reuse.
The exact number of previous test subjects is classified,
but we know there was at least one other subject
who passed away about the time Winston was cloned.
Their supercomputer is so advanced that it is capable of designing
DNA which is then synthesized in the lab by automated equipment,
then implanted into a cell.
This cell is then made into a clone by a process similar to
in vitro fertilization. Differences include the use of
artificial blood, and they grow the fetus in the lab,
so he is made, not born.
Every time they clone a new fetus, they try to make improvements,
so it is never the same DNA.
As an atheist, Winston knew that he became self aware
because of some natural process.
He also knew that when people pass away,
their atoms get recycled by nature and
are reused to make new people.
Winston knows many of his atoms will be in a person
in the future, but it will be a different person.
Winston told Colin that he doesn't care about this new person,
even though it's his atoms becoming alive again,
because "its not me anymore".
Colin asked Winston, what if your tooth hurts,
and on the way out to the dentist you get hit by a car,
hit your head, and develop amnesia.
You have lost your memory and personal identity, but the
tooth pain is still there.
Are you telling me that you won't care about the
tooth pain because you can't remember your name?
Personal identity is great, but not that great.
That amnesia example is the same as your atoms being recycled
in the future to make a new person, because its your
atoms being alive, experiencing pain/pleasure, yet without
the original personal identity/memories.
You have to think four dimensionally, because you
are right that you don't care now, but later you
will change your mind (literally).
Chapter 2:
winston@endworldsuffering.org
He said look at it this way,
your tooth hurts.
Now imagine you are blind, but the tooth still hurts.
Let's say you are deaf too, but the tooth still hurts.
Take away personal identity, memories.
Keep going until the only thing left is the pain,
that appears to be a basic property of matter resulting from certain conditions.
The lowest level of pleasure could be another property.
That pain is the same regardless of what century it is.
Your atoms, your pain.
It can be the "old you" the first time the atoms are alive,
or the new you, when the recycled atoms become alive in
the new person,
but it's still your atoms, your pain.
Your biomass could be used to make two people, each weighs half as much
as you do. Yet when both people get a bad tooth, the pain feels the same.
So it makes little difference how the atoms are arranged,
they can be in a male or female person, some atoms can
be swapped with others;
pain and pleasure are apparently
intrinsic properties of matter under certain conditions.
As the matter is recycled, pain/pleasure goes with it.
We already know matter has some properties like mass, why can't it
have other properties?
Chapter 3:
Winston said, I still don't care about the "new me".
Colin told Winston "that's what you said last time".
Well, the "old you" anyway.
The last time your atoms were alive, that was the old you,
and you said that you wouldn't care because its
not you without your personal identity.
And now here you are, with your new personal identity,
not caring about the last "you".
Winston was intrigued as Colin showed a video of
Winstons atoms in their previous body.
They watched in silence as the earlier body said
the same things.
Chapter 4:
Winston said I still don't feel it's going to be me
in the future unless my exact pattern is duplicated.
Colin replied that your pattern changes all the time.
Every time you learn something, the brain pattern changes to
store the memory.
But you still have the feeling of being alive because
it's your atoms that are alive, that's the key.
He works at a secret research building, part of which is completely
sealed. The sealed portion includes a greenhouse where they grow the food.
The same biomass is continually reused, going from carbon dioxide
in the air, to the food plants which take the carbon during photosynthesis,
to the test subject who is
the only person in the sealed portion of the building.
The test subject is a young man named Winston,
who was cloned and brought up in the building,
never having been outside.
He eats only plants grown there, completing the
carbon cycle as he exhales carbon dioxide for reuse.
The exact number of previous test subjects is classified,
but we know there was at least one other subject
who passed away about the time Winston was cloned.
Their supercomputer is so advanced that it is capable of designing
DNA which is then synthesized in the lab by automated equipment,
then implanted into a cell.
This cell is then made into a clone by a process similar to
in vitro fertilization. Differences include the use of
artificial blood, and they grow the fetus in the lab,
so he is made, not born.
Every time they clone a new fetus, they try to make improvements,
so it is never the same DNA.
As an atheist, Winston knew that he became self aware
because of some natural process.
He also knew that when people pass away,
their atoms get recycled by nature and
are reused to make new people.
Winston knows many of his atoms will be in a person
in the future, but it will be a different person.
Winston told Colin that he doesn't care about this new person,
even though it's his atoms becoming alive again,
because "its not me anymore".
Colin asked Winston, what if your tooth hurts,
and on the way out to the dentist you get hit by a car,
hit your head, and develop amnesia.
You have lost your memory and personal identity, but the
tooth pain is still there.
Are you telling me that you won't care about the
tooth pain because you can't remember your name?
Personal identity is great, but not that great.
That amnesia example is the same as your atoms being recycled
in the future to make a new person, because its your
atoms being alive, experiencing pain/pleasure, yet without
the original personal identity/memories.
You have to think four dimensionally, because you
are right that you don't care now, but later you
will change your mind (literally).
Chapter 2:
winston@endworldsuffering.org
He said look at it this way,
your tooth hurts.
Now imagine you are blind, but the tooth still hurts.
Let's say you are deaf too, but the tooth still hurts.
Take away personal identity, memories.
Keep going until the only thing left is the pain,
that appears to be a basic property of matter resulting from certain conditions.
The lowest level of pleasure could be another property.
That pain is the same regardless of what century it is.
Your atoms, your pain.
It can be the "old you" the first time the atoms are alive,
or the new you, when the recycled atoms become alive in
the new person,
but it's still your atoms, your pain.
Your biomass could be used to make two people, each weighs half as much
as you do. Yet when both people get a bad tooth, the pain feels the same.
So it makes little difference how the atoms are arranged,
they can be in a male or female person, some atoms can
be swapped with others;
pain and pleasure are apparently
intrinsic properties of matter under certain conditions.
As the matter is recycled, pain/pleasure goes with it.
We already know matter has some properties like mass, why can't it
have other properties?
Chapter 3:
Winston said, I still don't care about the "new me".
Colin told Winston "that's what you said last time".
Well, the "old you" anyway.
The last time your atoms were alive, that was the old you,
and you said that you wouldn't care because its
not you without your personal identity.
And now here you are, with your new personal identity,
not caring about the last "you".
Winston was intrigued as Colin showed a video of
Winstons atoms in their previous body.
They watched in silence as the earlier body said
the same things.
Chapter 4:
Winston said I still don't feel it's going to be me
in the future unless my exact pattern is duplicated.
Colin replied that your pattern changes all the time.
Every time you learn something, the brain pattern changes to
store the memory.
But you still have the feeling of being alive because
it's your atoms that are alive, that's the key.
