Mind Uploading Isn't the Answer

     A common trope in science fiction and on the fringes of technology is the idea that someday, we could say, scan the brain down to the neurons or the constituent molecules and eventually simulate those pieces in real time with a sufficiently advanced computer. In this way, uploading the mind of an individual would be effectively possible and would allow for that mind to tarry on for an effectively longer time than a normal brain would. Practical immortality.

Of course that relies on two assumptions which I feel science has given us a decent idea:

1.) The conscious experience of the individual is seated in the physical brain.

2.) Sufficiently advanced computers can emulate that consciousness.

Suffice it to say, at the moment of conception, both the physical and digital mind would be indistinguishable from each other to an outside observer. However, I feel a little more concerned about the... subjective aspect of this state of affairs.

In simple terms, the "uploaded" mind would be a facsimile. A copy. A Doppelganger. Once time and experience continues, this mind would grow and learn in a much different way than the original inspiration. These would become two separate entities. When the original dies, the real time subjective conscious experience of that mind would seem to die as well. This is the problem, and I propose a solution. But first, a primer.

For the purpose of this selection, it is assumed based on sound science that an afterlife or some dualistic component of the mind does not exist, or if it does exist, determination on how exactly it interacts with the natural portion of the mind is at most shrouded in ambiguity. Despite the beliefs to the contrary It would seem the brain is the seat of consciousness. But how?

(Please note that at best I'm a philosopher and informed layman of the sciences. This is one interpretation)

Emergentism

In simplest terms, emergentism is the idea that properties of some object are an irreducible sum of the properties of its constituents. An easy example would be the water molecule:

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in a particular configuration based on the quantum mechanical and chemical predispositions. It is also the most abundant tri-atomic molecule in the universe!

In order to understand emergentism, I ask you this: Where in this molecule lies the property of water? Is it in the oxygen atom? Is it in the hydrogen atoms? You'll quickly understand that this question is akin to asking someone to find the midpoint between Dallas and Texas. How does that even work? The entire thing is water!

And that is what emergentism is; if you look too closely, you'll miss the forest for the trees. In other words, If your Resolution of observation of a particular system is too close, you'll won't see the properties of the finer, larger system. Here's another example to demonstrate what I mean by resolution:

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This hedge is finely cut and shaped into a pattern. You can see this shape because you're observing the hedge "system" from a sufficient distance. But what if we zoomed in?

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

From this distance, you would see the individual leaves that make up the hedge, but not the hedge itself. We could ask the same question again; in which one of these leaves do we find the finely cut shape? Again, we see the question as non-sensical.

Just like water molecules and hedges, the brain as a whole has constituents with properties. Look too closely at one piece and you miss the finely cut shapes. Or in the case of the brain, you'll miss the conscious experience entirely. This has been a common theme in the searches for the "seat of consciouness" in the brain. That's when you hear claims that the pineal gland or some other structure within the brain is where the consciousness comes from. There have been people for a long time trying to find the midpoint between Dallas and Texas.

It would appear that consciousness is an emergent property of the brain. How exactly the brain structures come together to make this happen, I don't know. I have some ideas; one possibility is that there are loops of neural pathways in the brain that essentially allow what I would call a "self report". These loops are essentially the connections between brain sub-functions such as executive control and speech, and produce a common characteristic of consciousness; introspection. Thinking about thinking. Self awareness. But again, I'm no neuroscientist, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

What does this have to do with mind uploading? To understand this we must also understand that the brain as a whole is in a universe that is temporal; it is subject to change over time.

Assume for a moment that I am correct in my ideas for how consciousness emerges from the brain. These loops or pathways are maintained or slowly changed over time. Because of this, our subjective conscious experience is not halted entirely or harshly interrupted by say, hypoxia or trauma. The conscious mind is essentially maintained over time because of no abrupt interruptions. I call this the Continuity of Consciousness. Consciousness or particular qualities of it can be changed quickly with injury or snuffed out completely.

Imagine for a moment that in order to create an uploaded mind, we would have to destroy the original brain. We could still have a copy of that brain, but the continuity of consciousness has been abruptly stopped. The singular subjective experience has been extinguished for a new one, albeit identical in every other way.

If we care about the subjective experience of consciousness, and do not wish to make doppelgangers or ourselves, then mind uploading in the traditional sense is not the solution.

How do we solve it? We solve it with a paradox.

The Mind of Theseus

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The idea of the Ship of Theseus Paradox is essentially this. You have the ship in a museum, and over time the ship loses a rotten or damaged plank which is swiftly replaced by another. over time, more planks are lost and replaced until say, one hundred years later, there are no more of the original planks. Is this still Theseus' ship? It is identical in all respects, with the exception that it does not consist of the original parts. In our language, the emergent property of "Theseus' Ship" has not been drastically altered, since the ship wasn't vandalized or destroyed entirely. It was merely replaced slowly over time. The continuity of the ship's makeup wasn't abruptly disturbed.

If we care about continuity of subjective consciousness, This is the solution.

Say that with time, advances in bioengineering and nanotechnology allowed us to create a hardier, longer lasting artificial version of the neurons in the human brain, and with a simple injection or minimally invasive procedure, we could introduce and replace biological neurons and all their connections say, ten million or so per day. That might seem to be a lot, but the brain consists of about 100 billion neurons overall. At this rate it would take 27 years for a complete replacement of all natural neurons. This process could say, start at the age of five and it would end at the age of 32. The process would be slow enough to not drastically interrupt the continuity of consciousness, and avoid all other consequences associated with traditional mind uploading. It would take a very different approach requiring mastery of different sciences, but one that I argue would be just as difficult as the other.

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