Could it ever become possible to transfer one's consciousness to computer?

[Stevicus]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm betting it'll never happen.
I know that never is a very long time.
But prove me wrong, & I'll shine Hillary's shoes with me tongue.

 

[Sundance]

I would like to think such could very well happen in the (perhaps, near) future considering how rapidly we’re making technological advances, but it’s anyone’s guess, methinks.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Like the Matrix?

 

[Stevicus]

Like the Matrix?

Possibly, but not necessarily that. More like transferring someone's mind into a robot or android, where it could exist independent of any other system.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Possibly, but not necessarily that. More like transferring someone's mind into a robot or android, where it could exist independent of any other system.

Well if you could, this would be an entirely new discussion regarding mind/body dualism?

 

[Father Heathen]

During our lifetimes? Very doubtful.

 

[Stevicus]

Well if you could, this would be an entirely new discussion regarding mind/body dualism?

Well, I was thinking in terms of a hypothetical. Say, someone is dying and doesn't have much longer to live. If they could transfer their memories, knowledge and consciousness to some robot or android, would that individual still be "alive"? That is, would it be the essence of the same person, or would it be a brand new mind with only the memories and knowledge of the previous person?

A similar idea was presented in a rather horrible film called Freejack, except they would hijack human bodies and displace the individual's consciousness with someone else - usually a wealthy paying customer. Even if their body died, their consciousness could be stored on a "spiritual switchboard" for a certain period of time.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Well, I was thinking in terms of a hypothetical. Say, someone is dying and doesn't have much longer to live. If they could transfer their memories, knowledge and consciousness to some robot or android, would that individual still be "alive"? That is, would it be the essence of the same person, or would it be a brand new mind with only the memories and knowledge of the previous person?

A similar idea was presented in a rather horrible film called Freejack, except they would hijack human bodies and displace the individual's consciousness with someone else - usually a wealthy paying customer. Even if their body died, their consciousness could be stored on a "spiritual switchboard" for a certain period of time.

That was the point I was making because of the age old debate regarding the mind and body problem the consciousness or soul is downloaded on a computer. I was saying that if this did happen it would be a whole new philosophical argument. Now, there have been speculation as to whether you could potential severe the head and place it unto another body.

 

[Stevicus]

That was the point I was making because of the age old debate regarding the mind and body problem the consciousness or soul is downloaded on a computer. I was saying that if this did happen it would be a whole new philosophical argument. Now, there have been speculation as to whether you could potential severe the head and place it unto another body.

Sounds like a kind of brain transplant.

Of course, even without considering the possibility of a soul or one's consciousness being transferred, I would still wonder if a person's memories and knowledge could someday be preserved electronically - even without consciousness.

 

[Mindmaster]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

Hmm, eventually... Yes....

But, even if you took all computers on the earth and combined them into one super-computer they'd not be adequate enough to mimic the function of ONE brain let alone all of them... Currently, anyway... We'd need widespread quantum computing to get close... We're no where near that, at least, not yet.

Sticker point two: Even scientist haven't a bleeding clue where consciousness comes from or what it is. The problem for the moment would be that they'd not even know what data is relevant to copy or even that it could be done.

 

[PureX]

Probably not possible. I think we could enable a computer to mimic our consciousness, maybe quite accurately, some day. But that's not the same thing, at all. A clone of us, biological or mechanical, is still not us, and never would be.

 

[Polymath257]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

Well, one problem is that the brain doesn't seem to have an output for a core dump. So it wouldn't be as simple as putting in a jack and downloading the OS and associated files. Furthermore, the actual hardware (well, wetware) isn't very similar to most computer architectures. That could be changed, but we have a LONG way to go to get to the massively parallel processing that the brain does.

 

[Enoch07]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

Yes and no.

I think it would be possible to copy a person's brainwaves and thought patterns and a fairly reliable "copy" of that person's consciousness. Maybe even make it into an executable program to operate a robot or machine. But it would be flawed in that it would forever be stuck as that person was on the day they was copied. The actual person would go on to learn, grow, and change their mind. While the copy would forever be stuck in the same exact though patterns unable to change or learn.

Not without adding a bit of A.I. and some quantum processing then it would be close to the actual human mind, but it would still only be a hybrid, never full capable of being human.

It probably would surpass us in intelligence etc. Then enslave us in a dystopian nightmare, but who knows. Maybe it could work our for the better?

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Sounds like a kind of brain transplant.

Of course, even without considering the possibility of a soul or one's consciousness being transferred, I would still wonder if a person's memories and knowledge could someday be preserved electronically - even without consciousness.

It would be interesting. Now, as far as swapping one's head to another body I think it is possible with the right technology, but to download someone's consciousness to a "matrix" or computer would require advanced technology. I mean, they tried in Robocop 2

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The closest we could come to that is creating a copy. The original person's consciousness "goes" nowhere. So it's not really immortality since the original person will still die.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

Like Polymath pointed out maybe the hardest part would be getting the information out which would probably require mapping the entire brain and body. Storing it would be difficult, but also difficult would be bringing it to consciousness. Each person has a unique brain with different ways of doing things, so along with any data you need to store the way that their brain operates. Its not only multiprocessing, but its also unique for each person.

Any simulation would involve studying the whole body including nerves skin and organs, because our bodies and minds develop together. The body would hold clues to deciphering how the brain worked. Motion sensations, temperature and breathing are part of us. Feelings, too, are part of us; so the robot body would ideally help out with simulating feelings. It would ideally also simulate physical sensations, but the feelings would be a necessity.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

I think we'll be able to simulate consciousness on a computer, but it won't be a transfer. The consciousness running on the computer will experience transfer, but the original entity will continue as well. The consciousness will be copied, rather than truly transferred.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Yeah.... Johnny Depp did it already!

 

[George-ananda]

I was thinking about this while reading through the robotics thread, and I was wondering if, someday, it might be possible to transfer a human consciousness to a robot. Could a human's memories and knowledge be copied and stored on a hard drive? Or is this just so far out an idea that it can't even be conceived of?

In my school of thought it would be impossible as consciousness is not a product of physical activity. The best artificial intelligence can do is to mimic how a being with consciousness would behave but the computer could never subjectively experience.