It’s a popular opinion these days that computers and the human brain are essentially equal in terms of how they work. With the growing rate of technology, it may one day be possible for people to upload their brains into a computer, and essentially live forever. The benefits of such technology are huge. A failing or aging body is obsolete if we can become mechanical and still retain our original selves. Disease would be a thing of the past. Computers however, are not free from flaws themselves. Viruses, hackers, mechanical failure - all of it is entirely possible, and could potentially leave our lives just as short as they are now, if not shorter. To many clinically ill patients, it may seem a lifesaver, but for me, I’d rather stay mortal,
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There are actually many similarities between computer biological viruses. To name a few, susceptibility differs in each individual, and some are specific to a certain type of host. A virus has the ability to integrate itself into the DNA or hard drive and the user or host is usually unaware of the virus until it’s caused a lot of damage. Each type of virus mutates, and can be spread from system to system. There are enough similarities, it should be said – thinking that uploading the human brain into a computer would make us healthier and increase our lifespan is a pipe dream. Machines are perhaps more unstable than biological bodies. The average useable lifespan of a typical PC is 3 to 5 years. The current life expectancy of people in the United States is about 79 years – that’s a huge difference! Of course, when a person’s inner workings start to fail, it’s usually hopeless, while computers can have parts replaced, or have the hard drive copied onto a new system.
Given the hypothetical situation of uploading our minds, it would be possible to replace parts and move copies. However, if the brain can be copied and backed up so easily, it completely rejects the idea of individualism. In “The Sum of all Thoughts” this topic is brought up, saying that copies would mean the creation of an additional person with the exact same identity. Even identical twins aren’t the same, but an exact copy would
There are actually many similarities between computer biological viruses. To name a few, susceptibility differs in each individual, and some are specific to a certain type of host. A virus has the ability to integrate itself into the DNA or hard drive and the user or host is usually unaware of the virus until it’s caused a lot of damage. Each type of virus mutates, and can be spread from system to system. There are enough similarities, it should be said – thinking that uploading the human brain into a computer would make us healthier and increase our lifespan is a pipe dream. Machines are perhaps more unstable than biological bodies. The average useable lifespan of a typical PC is 3 to 5 years. The current life expectancy of people in the United States is about 79 years – that’s a huge difference! Of course, when a person’s inner workings start to fail, it’s usually hopeless, while computers can have parts replaced, or have the hard drive copied onto a new system.
Given the hypothetical situation of uploading our minds, it would be possible to replace parts and move copies. However, if the brain can be copied and backed up so easily, it completely rejects the idea of individualism. In “The Sum of all Thoughts” this topic is brought up, saying that copies would mean the creation of an additional person with the exact same identity. Even identical twins aren’t the same, but an exact copy would