Not necessarily a neuralink specifically, just any genre or type of cybernetic implants, if they were or will become available. I’m super hesitant on anything interfacing with my brain so I’d probably stay organic, except like if I lost my eyesight or hearing.
I’d need to completely own it. I don’t want my extended memory storage to now also include product placement in my childhood memories or the cops can make my bionic legs stop working or whatever.
However, in the hypothetical situation where I completely own my augmentations, 100% I’m getting enhancements. In fact I would question the efficiency of giving me implants, it might just be easier to copy my brain into a completely robotic body.
The downside of copying your brain is that it’s a copy, you’ll have your original meat body and a separate mechanical body which minds which immediately start to diverge. They’re both still you, but meatman gets no upgrades. You could destroy your meat body as part of the transfer but then it’s reasonable to say you’re dead with a robot that thinks it’s you.
The closest you can get to a proper transfer would need an implant which works similar to how your body naturally replaces cells, the implant would gradually take over neurons until you have a fully mech brain which can be transplanted to a new body. You could argue that’s still just a destructive copy but I think it’s within most people’s tolerance.
Frylock: Low voice c’mon, he heard you, Shake.
louder Be-because Meatwad is already top of the line! He needs no upgrades!
Meatwad: Yea! Meatwad’s number one!
Shake: Oh-hoh, it’s not like he doesn’t know he’s awful.
Meatwad: I do? I’m not–
Shake: You’re not stupid, are you? I mean, we all know Meatwad is pretty dumb but you’re not so dumb that you don’t even realize that you were fished out of the bottom of the bargain bin.
Frylock: Shake–
Meatwad: I’m not stupid!
Shake: So you know, then.
Meatwad: Yeah! Wait…
Shake: I knew it! Meatwad is the worst.
Frylock: Shake, enough! You’re going to make him cry!
Meatwad: sniffs
Shake: Oooh, fine, ya crybaby. Frylock has your upgrades that will make you almost as good as normal–
Frylock: Shake!
Meatwad: I’m getting upgraded?
Shake: --but he refuses to even admit he has it because he’s jealous! Of how great you’ll be!
Meatwad: Frylock…
Shake: The ultimate betrayal! He can’t handle being #3 so he’s keeping you down!
Frylock: Meatwad, you don’t believe I’d do that to you–
Meatwad: I thought we were friends.
Shake: Always competing for that #2 spot, it’s despicable!
Meatwad: Frylock!
Frylock: There IS NO UPGRADE. How do you upgrade a wad of meat anyways? Shake is just–
Shake: SEE!? Even Frylock agrees you can’t get better and that you’re the worst.
Frylock: eyes glowing Ok fine. Meatwad, how would you like an upgrade? I’ll give you a straw, how does that sound?
Shake: glowing, rising into the air Woah, wait! No, no, I was just kidding! Meatwad, you don’t want a straw, do you?
Meatwad: You know, a straw would be pretty cool.
Shake: Nononono, don’t–just think about how dumb you’d look with a straw just sticking out! Maybe you’d prefer a fry!? glowing intensifies AH!
Meatwad: Yeah, you’re right, that would look pretty dumb.
Shake: relaxes Oh thank you, Meatwad, you’re a good buddy.
Meatwad: Frylock, could I have a lid, too, maybe? Then my straw won’t look so dumb?
Yeah but speaking as meatman I’m okay with meatman dying. Robot me will be the real me, meat me is ephemeral.
I don’t believe in souls. I view my existence as like a wave, I am briefly in this cohesive form and will inevitably break upon the shore and both cease to be a wave yet forever be the ocean. Continuously moved and reshaped and never the same wave I was.
A body that allows my perception of existence to continue would prevent that, I would be able to continue to “exist” as I perceive it for much longer.
So yeah for me at least you can skip the gradual stuff. Just ctrl + c, ctrl + v and recycle the original.
How would you feel about your continuity if more than one robot copy/replacement is made? (at the same time all based on the meat version I mean, not as future replacement/upgrade bodies)
I’d be cool with it as long as they’re all autonomous. From my sense of continuity I continue to exist and there are other copies who share my experiences as meatman up to the point in time where we received our respective robot bodies. It’d be like gaining siblings. From their point of view they continue to exist and there are other copies like myself out there as well.
I’m also okay if I woke up in my robot body and found out I’m not the first copy. Knowing myself it would be more of a “fun fact” that someone is the original rather than something that carries any sort of weight.
Which robot would be you and which would be “the other copies”? I would imagine that from the descendants’ pov they’re all “you”, but I wonder if you would identify yourself with one over the rest 🤔
If the descendants continue to collaborate in perpetuity, maybe “you” is the swarm.
I think we’d just view it as a matter of perspective. To me, I’m me and they’re them. To them, they’re me and I’m them. We’d each identify ourselves as me.
But we would probably also enjoy being considered a swarm, I know I would.
Imagine experiencing a scism with yourself 😅
Crack my skull and spine open, pull out my brain and nervous system and put it in the robot.
Most people do not have an existential crisis over whether a teleporter is teleporting them or killing and remaking them. It’s mostly a small subset of people who have that worry.
I’d be like Mr. T in space. You’d never get me onto one of those transporters unless I was dragged there while unconscious.