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A Taxonomy and Metaphysics of Mind-Uploading
MIND-UPLOADING: the process of transferring one's mind from the brain to a new substrate, generally a computer. It is the stuff of science fiction, immediately recognizable in contemporary literature and cinema. However, it has also become increasingly respectable-or at least approachable-within technological, neurological, and philosophical circles. This book begins with a rich taxonomy of hypothetical procedures by which mind-uploading might be achieved, even if only in the realm of thought experiment. This is likely the most thorough collection of such procedures yet compiled and should form the basis of any reader's personal philosophy of mind and mind-uploading. It then offers one such philosophy of mind, along with an analysis and interpretation of the scenarios in the taxonomy through the lens of this philosophy. This book will be an important component of any curious reader's developing philosophy of mind and mind-uploading.
190 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 16, 2018
Grāmata ārpus manas komforta zonas.
“This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors!”
- The Good Place
Grāmatas autors pa ļoti garu, līkumainu un akmeņainu ceļu veda mani līdz pēdējām nodaļām, kas man tiešām bija interesantas. Wiley kungs sarežģītiem (vismaz man) terminiem un, piesaucot man nezināmas filozofiskas teorijas, centās mani pārliecināt par prāta digitalizēšanas (šādi es sev galvā tulkoju mind-uploading) iespējamību un jau cīnās pret šo digitālo prātu diskrimināciju, kaut arī tas viss ir tikai teorija.
Pārsteidzošā kārtā kopumā manas idejas par prāta digitalizēšanu, to, kas ir prāts un kas tieši veido mūs par personībām, kas esam tieši šobrīd, nav tālu no autora viedokļa.
Laikam tik drīz filozofijas grāmatas nebūs manā to-read sarakstā. Iemesls, kas lika pievērst uzmanību šai grāmatai ir... datorspēles "Soma" sižets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(v...
“This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors!”
- The Good Place
Grāmatas autors pa ļoti garu, līkumainu un akmeņainu ceļu veda mani līdz pēdējām nodaļām, kas man tiešām bija interesantas. Wiley kungs sarežģītiem (vismaz man) terminiem un, piesaucot man nezināmas filozofiskas teorijas, centās mani pārliecināt par prāta digitalizēšanas (šādi es sev galvā tulkoju mind-uploading) iespējamību un jau cīnās pret šo digitālo prātu diskrimināciju, kaut arī tas viss ir tikai teorija.
Pārsteidzošā kārtā kopumā manas idejas par prāta digitalizēšanu, to, kas ir prāts un kas tieši veido mūs par personībām, kas esam tieši šobrīd, nav tālu no autora viedokļa.
Laikam tik drīz filozofijas grāmatas nebūs manā to-read sarakstā. Iemesls, kas lika pievērst uzmanību šai grāmatai ir... datorspēles "Soma" sižets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(v...
March 13, 2015
I really loved this book, subjects I would call singularity themed have become a very deep interest of mine... and books like those of Dr. Wiley are part of the reason why. This book took some classic philosophy 101 concepts: Platonic Idealism, comparative metaphysics, etc etc etc and infused into them an almost ludic rulebook that we may be able to take out in several years with a deeper, more immediate seriousness... but for now I'd say this book is above all else a fun (albeit exhausting) read. It is one of the most intellectually stimulating pieces I've read in quite a while. The material is dense as hell, but it is streamlined into few enough pages, and surrounded by enough mesmerizing infographics, that one can push through.
But be prepared: I guarantee your thinking muscles will be all but depleted before you reach page 10.
But be prepared: I guarantee your thinking muscles will be all but depleted before you reach page 10.
May 5, 2018
A fairly chaotic, yet interesting book.
While I agree with the author on the three final conclusions on questions/topics he presents (which of the resulting minds/brains can claim ownership of the original identity, does free will exist, and how to judge the success/failure of a mind upload), I find his method of getting to those answers a bit flimsy. Though, I have to admit, his logic made me look at some questions I had not considered before, so reading through it was definitely worth it.
All in all a good introduction into the current discourse on the topic, I guess, but that may also be the books weakest point - it does read less like a true scientific attempt at producing and presenting a theory in a bulletproof way, backed by solid evidence, and more like a defense of his own views, pre-rigged with rebuttals to, perhaps not the most relevant, challenges that the author expects to, or has received in the past.
A good read, if you are looking for an interesting, but not particularly definitive, book on the subject.
While I agree with the author on the three final conclusions on questions/topics he presents (which of the resulting minds/brains can claim ownership of the original identity, does free will exist, and how to judge the success/failure of a mind upload), I find his method of getting to those answers a bit flimsy. Though, I have to admit, his logic made me look at some questions I had not considered before, so reading through it was definitely worth it.
All in all a good introduction into the current discourse on the topic, I guess, but that may also be the books weakest point - it does read less like a true scientific attempt at producing and presenting a theory in a bulletproof way, backed by solid evidence, and more like a defense of his own views, pre-rigged with rebuttals to, perhaps not the most relevant, challenges that the author expects to, or has received in the past.
A good read, if you are looking for an interesting, but not particularly definitive, book on the subject.
November 23, 2014
This is a scatterbrained but fun book. I have to admit, I grew to like the author a lot. He's like an eager kid with no training having a ball in the metaphysics lab -- discovering some interesting new ideas due to his fresh perspective, but also making a toxic mess and blowing up half the lab in the process.
The book is crisp and short, which I like. Chapter 2 gives the author's definitions of key terms (mind, continuity, token/type etc.), and has a number of interesting, novel ideas. Chapter 3 gives a comprehensive taxonomy of uploading scenarios, although they are all variations on the most familiar patterns like gradual replacement of components, teleportation, or scan and simulate. Chapter 4 gives the author's metaphysical doctrines (spoiler alert... He claims to be a full-bore Platonist, of all things. Talk about swigging your metaphysics straight out of the bottle!) Chapter 5 discusses his views on minds. His most important point is that minds can split. For example, if Mr. X is scanned and his mind uploaded into an android Mr. X', then what we have is a single mind which has split into two minds. They are the same individual before the split, and different individuals after the split. Interestingly, he rejects any notion that the copy is in any way inferior to the original. He justifies this partly on the social justice grounds that classifying people/uploads into categories of "original/genuine" and "copy/fake" will lead to discrimination. He writes: "I foresee a risk that we could not only denigrate the self-professed POV (point of view) of uploads (which would, at worst, insult them), but more seriously, that we may also denigrate their rights, and quite possibly their lives." Upload rights!! Chapter 6 discusses the issue of dualism, and here Mr. Wiley changes gears to a purely materialistic viewpoint which obviously doesn't jibe too well with his earlier commitment to Platonism. Chapter 7 discusses his egalitarian "equality of all minds" concept in more detail. Chapter 8 is an interesting take on free-will that I largely agree with (due to its rejection of Kripke-style "possible worlds"). Finally, Chapter 9 applies the author's metaphysics to some of the most important uploading scenarios mentioned in taxonomy in Chapter 3.
Crazy little book, but all in all, I liked it.
The book is crisp and short, which I like. Chapter 2 gives the author's definitions of key terms (mind, continuity, token/type etc.), and has a number of interesting, novel ideas. Chapter 3 gives a comprehensive taxonomy of uploading scenarios, although they are all variations on the most familiar patterns like gradual replacement of components, teleportation, or scan and simulate. Chapter 4 gives the author's metaphysical doctrines (spoiler alert... He claims to be a full-bore Platonist, of all things. Talk about swigging your metaphysics straight out of the bottle!) Chapter 5 discusses his views on minds. His most important point is that minds can split. For example, if Mr. X is scanned and his mind uploaded into an android Mr. X', then what we have is a single mind which has split into two minds. They are the same individual before the split, and different individuals after the split. Interestingly, he rejects any notion that the copy is in any way inferior to the original. He justifies this partly on the social justice grounds that classifying people/uploads into categories of "original/genuine" and "copy/fake" will lead to discrimination. He writes: "I foresee a risk that we could not only denigrate the self-professed POV (point of view) of uploads (which would, at worst, insult them), but more seriously, that we may also denigrate their rights, and quite possibly their lives." Upload rights!! Chapter 6 discusses the issue of dualism, and here Mr. Wiley changes gears to a purely materialistic viewpoint which obviously doesn't jibe too well with his earlier commitment to Platonism. Chapter 7 discusses his egalitarian "equality of all minds" concept in more detail. Chapter 8 is an interesting take on free-will that I largely agree with (due to its rejection of Kripke-style "possible worlds"). Finally, Chapter 9 applies the author's metaphysics to some of the most important uploading scenarios mentioned in taxonomy in Chapter 3.
Crazy little book, but all in all, I liked it.
March 21, 2016
I found this to be a fairly readable and very in-depth treatment of philosophical topics in mind uploading. He is not kidding at all about the title, as the book literally presents both an in-depth taxonomy of the extant proposals for mind uploading, as well as how a few key results in metaphysics can inform our understanding of it. The text is occasionally verbose, but it is always for clarity, and it makes you feel as a reader that he has put thought into the composition. It is best to think of it as a short textbook than as a pop-science book, however. Finally, the book is non-judgmental -- it advances an argument, but makes it clear that you are free to disagree with it. Although I might have felt differently about this if I did disagree.
Two nitpicks. Keith uses the term "transfer" where I prefer Michael Cerullo's "branch" term (see http://link.springer.com/article/10.1...) as slightly more intuitive. Also, I would have liked to see how the analysis would have differed, if at all, if he had preferred Aristotelian rather than Platonist metaphysics. Overall, this is a serious treatment of what is to me is an important topic and I recommend for you to check out if you're interested.
SR Flashcards
q: define dynamic
a: undergoing state-change over time
q: define subjective perspective
a: a mind's experience of self-identity and awareness of its circumstances
> aka point-of-view
q: define nanobot
a: a neuron-like robot in terms of scale, structure, and functionality
> the "nano" qualifier refers not to the size of the device itself, but the scale of precision of its parts
q: define virtual
a: a software simulation or emulation
q: define materialism
a: the belief that the brain is sufficient to produce a mind
q: If you take a Platonist view of metaphysics, then what does science and engineering become about? why?
a: discovery; the universal concepts, designs, and patterns are all out there, and it is up to investigators not to create them but to find them
q: What is Daniel Dennett's Library of Mendel?
a: a library which contains all possible genetic sequences, and by extension, all possible species
> a la Borges' Library of Babel, which contains all possible books under a designated maximum length
q: How many minds could a given mind-state have evolved from?
a: a mind-state could only have evolved from exactly one other mind-state in the near-infinite space of all possible mind-states
> this is a pretty "astounding" result and is not the case for brain states, but is the case because of memory of old mind states
> Wiley MU p. 106
Quotes
"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter" - Yoda
"Colloquially, the biological brain (and its mind) is often labeled the original and any new brains (and their minds) are often labeled as either uploads, clones, copies, or duplicates. However, these terms (with the exception of upload) are not preferred because their biased connotations insinuate a prior primary and subsidiary status, thereby undermining subsequent philosophical analysis. This book will simply refer to the biological brain and its mind, and to the upload and its artificial brain."
Disclosure: Keith is a friend of mine and we're both volunteers at the Brain Preservation Foundation.
Two nitpicks. Keith uses the term "transfer" where I prefer Michael Cerullo's "branch" term (see http://link.springer.com/article/10.1...) as slightly more intuitive. Also, I would have liked to see how the analysis would have differed, if at all, if he had preferred Aristotelian rather than Platonist metaphysics. Overall, this is a serious treatment of what is to me is an important topic and I recommend for you to check out if you're interested.
SR Flashcards
q: define dynamic
a: undergoing state-change over time
q: define subjective perspective
a: a mind's experience of self-identity and awareness of its circumstances
> aka point-of-view
q: define nanobot
a: a neuron-like robot in terms of scale, structure, and functionality
> the "nano" qualifier refers not to the size of the device itself, but the scale of precision of its parts
q: define virtual
a: a software simulation or emulation
q: define materialism
a: the belief that the brain is sufficient to produce a mind
q: If you take a Platonist view of metaphysics, then what does science and engineering become about? why?
a: discovery; the universal concepts, designs, and patterns are all out there, and it is up to investigators not to create them but to find them
q: What is Daniel Dennett's Library of Mendel?
a: a library which contains all possible genetic sequences, and by extension, all possible species
> a la Borges' Library of Babel, which contains all possible books under a designated maximum length
q: How many minds could a given mind-state have evolved from?
a: a mind-state could only have evolved from exactly one other mind-state in the near-infinite space of all possible mind-states
> this is a pretty "astounding" result and is not the case for brain states, but is the case because of memory of old mind states
> Wiley MU p. 106
Quotes
"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter" - Yoda
"Colloquially, the biological brain (and its mind) is often labeled the original and any new brains (and their minds) are often labeled as either uploads, clones, copies, or duplicates. However, these terms (with the exception of upload) are not preferred because their biased connotations insinuate a prior primary and subsidiary status, thereby undermining subsequent philosophical analysis. This book will simply refer to the biological brain and its mind, and to the upload and its artificial brain."
Disclosure: Keith is a friend of mine and we're both volunteers at the Brain Preservation Foundation.
December 18, 2014
I would argue this is the most thoughtful formal treatment of this topic available. Keith Wiley makes a distillation of decades of argument, speculation, and discussion on mind-uploading yet manages to keep it organized, thoughtful, and coherent. While no one can yet answer how we would do it, this author doesn't bother with that. Instead, he concentrates on the question, "If we could, what would that look like?"
Most surprising though, even if you are not interested in the idea of mind-uploading, the book is still compelling. In the process of tackling the big questions of this unusual topic, he purposefully takes on some of the big questions of philosophy of mind and theories about consciousness. I found myself making a list of further reading my second time through this book.
It's a short book, but not necessarily an easy one. Yet I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the relationship of mind to body, consciousness, and/or identity.
Most surprising though, even if you are not interested in the idea of mind-uploading, the book is still compelling. In the process of tackling the big questions of this unusual topic, he purposefully takes on some of the big questions of philosophy of mind and theories about consciousness. I found myself making a list of further reading my second time through this book.
It's a short book, but not necessarily an easy one. Yet I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the relationship of mind to body, consciousness, and/or identity.
July 24, 2016
A thorough overview of the philosophical considerations of mind uploading and all related issues.
The rich taxonomy really highlights all the variations on the major forms.
Gets pretty heavy going around the middle in the discussion on types and tokens.
The rich taxonomy really highlights all the variations on the major forms.
Gets pretty heavy going around the middle in the discussion on types and tokens.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews