Edit ‘consciousness’

consciousness.myco

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ No.
 
 It is likely that physics, as implemented by the [[universe]], can be simulated to arbitrary precision on a [[computer]]. This includes the parts of physics which conscious beings use. If consciousness is determined by physical hardware, then that physics can thus be simulated on a computer and will behave identically (or at least up to [[thermal noise limits]], with enough simulation precision) to the physical version. Either this is not possible - physics is not computable - or consciousness is [[Newton's Flaming Laser Sword|epiphenomenal]], which is bad, or consciousness is generated by computation of some form.
 
+If [[continuity]] is important, you may instead substitute some kind of gradual transfer process in which a mind is replaced piece-by-piece with alternate hardware: a sudden switchoff of consciousness would be either noticeable or epiphenomenal and thus inelegant.
+
 === Julian Jaynes
 
 In [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origin_of_Consciousness_in_the_Breakdown_of_the_Bicameral_Mind|The Origin Of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind]], Julian Jaynes draws from various historical sources, using more literal translations rather than standard reinterpretations, to argue that in the [[Late Bronze Age]], Europeans became conscious due to the failure of their hallucinatory [[god|gods]] at modelling the new and unpredictable scenarios they were in, and that this led to planning and coordination advantages. It [[https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/06/01/book-review-origin-of-consciousness-in-the-breakdown-of-the-bicameral-mind/|has been argued]] that the book is describing a change to theory of mind or functional organization rather than "consciousness".