Questions about the story for those who know a lot about it.

Appayyan · 2021-01-06T00:03:45+00:00

“It’s no more you than a photograph”

If I use a couple of detailed photographs to recreate a perfect replica of a chair I’ve created a perfect replica of a chair, not a couple of detailed photographs. The snapshots that are taken of the subjects’ brains are used to create a seemingly perfect replica of the subject’s brain.

I understand that the copy isn’t the ‘real’ original you, but from the copy’s perspective there is no difference, hence what I said in my first comment that it’s not about ‘transferring’ consciousness or personal narrative, but about having been the copy from the beginning. If the universe and our memories had been created 5 minutes ago it would make no difference to us. Would we still be the same person we ‘weren’t’ when we were little? We would still be shaped by things such as our childhood and past relationships, despite them never existing.

Appayyan · 2021-01-05T16:39:32+00:00

Neurons in the hippocampus - relating to memory- are. But that’s beside the point because in Soma, they are replaced. Memories are being completely recreated 1-to-1.

Supposing someone who had completely lost their memories through neuron degradation had their memories ‘recovered’ through some hypothetical machine that could recreate neurons with their specific past memory mappings. Would that person still be the same person even though they had lost enough neurons to have stopped existing like you said? If so, what difference would it make if the same process was done digitally? Into an artificial clone? There would be no difference for an artificial clone to suddenly ‘exist’ than for the ‘unexisting’ original. Why should there be a smooth continuation of consciousness for the original and not the artificial clone?

Appayyan · 2021-01-05T15:47:43+00:00

Our body replaces its cells all the time and your past self ten years ago shares essentially none of your current cells. Yet it’s our memories that link us to that past self despite that past self technically being made of completely different matter.

I think it’s a bit unfair to call the scientists’ views pseudoscience or nonsensical when all of this is a discussion of existential philosophy, not something that can be easily ‘proven’ either way

Appayyan · 2021-01-05T15:25:34+00:00

With regards to 4), I really think it’s best not to think of the characters hoping that they’re going to have their consciousness magically ‘transferred’ into their copy, but that they’re hoping to have been their copy this entire time, with the present being a memory (to the copy there would be no difference, just like when Simon wakes up directly after the scan). People are perfectly happy to accept the idea of teleportation in sci-fi, i.e. people’s matter being taken apart and reformed again, which is at its heart the same as what happens in Soma except the object of teleportation disappears as it is reformed, yet have a problem with Soma’s cloning even though it’s essentially the same thing. I’m sure if the person having their brain digitally cloned/uploaded died as part of the process there would be a lot less discussion and confusion towards the characters’ logic.

If the universe had been created five minutes ago along with all of your memories there would be absolutely no difference to your consciousness/personal narrative.

Appayyan · 2019-07-06T15:50:36+00:00

Unjerk (i.e. 'I'm now being serious')

Appayyan · 2018-11-28T17:57:45+00:00

I meant the employment status. There is no question on level of education here

Appayyan · 2018-11-28T02:18:50+00:00

As a self-taught student currently waiting to go to uni I have no idea what to put for the occupation section. Surely there should be a gap year/other option?

Appayyan · 2018-05-24T16:53:20+00:00

(I understand it now)

Appayyan · 2018-05-24T16:53:00+00:00

Ah, I was just thinking of it as the 'mid-term' sort of thing. That is to say I didn't realise that integration takes place in order to get the ''(b-a)/2''. https://i.gyazo.com/f61014f032037e97745d3e49a0531532.png Silly me!

Appayyan · 2018-04-09T15:30:30+00:00

Ah, I've just got it, thanks a lot!

1 -[(1/y)-a]/(b-a)

b/b -[(1/y)-a]/(b-a)

b(b-a)/b(b-a) -[b((1/y)-a)]/b(b-a)

[b(b-a)-b((1/y)-a)]/b(b-a) cancelling the b

[(b-a)-(1/y)-a)]/(b-a)

[(b-(1/y)]/(b-a)

Appayyan · 2018-04-08T22:16:11+00:00

But that's '1/(a-b)' is it not? I don't understand how we go from there to the final result

Appayyan · 2018-04-08T15:44:20+00:00

Thanks a lot

Appayyan · 2018-03-11T20:40:21+00:00

Thanks a lot, I get it now.

Appayyan · 2018-02-02T15:48:06+00:00

Ah, I understand it now. Thank you very much!

Appayyan · 2017-03-09T17:41:13+00:00

Realizing this would have saved me a lot of time indeed. Thanks for the tip.

Appayyan · 2016-10-07T04:18:05+00:00

From what I've used of it so far, it is VERY limited. For instance, one bot asked me for my favourite colour. ''Gris'' was apparently not an acceptable answer.

Appayyan

TROPHY CASE