Disagreement about Eternal Life

Let\'s see what you guys take on the argument is.

A friend and I were talking about cloning. He said that it would be cool if they could copy the data of someone\'s brain and put it into a clone\'s brain thus giving someone eternal life. I said that it wouldn\'t be eternal life in that the original you would still die and only a copy of his brain lived on. He disagreed saying that once the brain was copied then the "life essence" of the person was copied also.

I know this is a stupid discussion but what are your theories on the subject. If the brain is copied and implanted in a cloned body is that not a new person?

watch "sixth day" with Arnold S.

cloning humans= evil

Thats a tough one. Lots of issues need to be addressed like what do you count as a person etc.

I personally feel that if the brain, including all thoughts, expriences etc are copied so that when you well wake up or whatever in your new vessal it feels exactly like it did before, so much so that theres been no change and you don\'t actually know it had happened then i\'d say that was eternal.

Basically providing the mind can be copied intact. In a sense if you think as your body as a vessul, just a living chamber for the mind and the mind as the actual thing in question then its just like the mind has moved house, but the mind itself hasn\'t died or been altered.

However if on the other hand you don\'t believe this and think that its both the body and the mind play a part in the thing called a person and if the body will rot away once the mind has been transfered to a new body then I guess that is a new person.

I consider me as my consenses so if I did move bodies I would consider myself as still alive and living, not a new me.

I don\'t see how that is eternal life. It still is a different person, or thats how I see it. It might know everything you know and act just like you, but it isn\'t you.

well its the same person in the same body but not the same body

anyway the only way i really see the argument of enteranl life being a role in it is if you believe in a soul or not

because if you clone the brain then the soul of that life is left behind or not - or will their be a soul for that body or the next one and so on

thats the only argument i see - and thats if you believe in souls

so go figure

Well, basically, as I see it, it is only an ongoing cycle of your DNA. Why not just have children? It is not the same person. It may look and act like the same person but it isn\'t.

Originally posted by mm
watch "sixth day" with Arnold S.

cloning humans= evil

BWHAAHAHAHAHHA..

Best part of the movie: Arnold saying cool with his accent.

IF you clone yourself, and try to copy your brain memory to the clone, you are still you, so you die, and don\'t really live for ever, only a facsimile lives on in the clone.

[Bobs_Hardware]

wow...when im about to die...ill copy my mind into the body of a hot blonde with over sized novelty breasts...and take up lesbianism

well...ok, mebbe not  

its hard to answer this.  You have the same mapping of your brain, therefore, technically, the same you would exist...but without the same brain, and body.  Would it still be you.  Would you still have memories, would you still be controlling yourself.  or would it just be someone else, with the exact same personality as you.  They act and react to everything, the same as you would, but are a different consciousness...

hmm...i\'d hafta agree with you *gives high five to Gohan...then slaps his hairy ass*

I\'d say copying the brain makes the same person... at least mentally. If you could then clone the same body as well everything would be peachy.

So summa summarum: Yes. It would be the same person.

I didn\'t know drink coasters could walk !? :eek:

[Bobs_Hardware]

your obviously a moron then..

j/k

:fro: toot on

"I know this is a stupid discussion but what are your theories on the subject. If the brain is copied and implanted in a cloned body is that not a new person?"- Gohan

No, what you would have is person who was exactly like you in every way as observable from the outside. It would APPEAR that your conciousness had moved on to the new body.. but in reality it wouldn\'t. Consider this.. if they cloned you and copied yer "essence" into the new body.. would you be able to control both bodies? No, of course not. Your consiousness would not just magically find it\'s way to the clone after you die and then take control of him.

Think of it this way. Save this webpage to a disk. Then make a hundred copies of it and then burn it off onto a CD. Then destroy the disk. No matter how many copies there are.. that disk is still gone. That specific data is gone. Now imagine.. you are that disk.

There MAY be a way to transfer your conciousness, but it\'s not going to be as simple as copyin yer brains content into a new brain and killing off the original body.

Either way.. I plan to die some day. This is all of no concequence to me.