The Philosophical Impossibility of Teleportation and Mind Uploading
A simple thought experiment reveals hidden truths about the nature of consciousness.
Death is scary. We are naturally fearful of the idea of no longer being. We create rituals and legends to explain what happens to our loved ones who no longer “are”; and we create technology that enables us to delay the fearful destiny that we all share.
With the technological progress in recent years, we have started to look with seriousness at alternatives to curb death that previously seemed to be mere fantasy. Some examples include stopping aging (recommended read: Fable of the Dragon Tyrant by Nick Bostrom), creating DNA backups, and even uploading your mind.
We know that, at least as of today, death is inescapable. Yet, I always hoped that technology would reach a point within my lifetime where I could preserve my consciousness long after my physical body had perished. I thought I could be part of the first generation of humans to have their conscious experience preserved by uploading it to the cloud.
I would love it if my consciousness remained after my body’s due date. I could continue to interact with the people I love, continue to gain knowledge, but mainly, I could see what the future holds for humanity…
