In the mean time, shutting off the machine resulted in decoupling/decoherence of state between the computational elements of the machine, and general reversion back to a state of thermal noise.
It is probably best for you to stay away from the physics/QM point of view on this, since you will lose: the states “between the computational elements”, whatever you may mean by that, decohere and relax to “thermal noise” much quicker than the time between clock transitions, so there no difference between a nanosecond an an hour.
Maybe what you mean is more logic-related? For example, when a self-aware algorithm (including a human) expects one second to pass and instead measures a full hour (because it was suspended), it interprets that discrepancy of inputs as death? If so, shouldn’t any unexpected discrepancy, like sleeping past your alarm clock, or day-dreaming in class, be treated the same way?
This does equal death-of-identity, and is similar to the transporter thought experiment.
I agree that forking a consciousness is not a morally trivial issue, but that’s different from temporary suspension and restarting, which happens all the time to people and machines. I don’t think that conflating the two is helpful.
It is probably best for you to stay away from the physics/QM point of view on this, since you will lose: the states “between the computational elements”, whatever you may mean by that, decohere and relax to “thermal noise” much quicker than the time between clock transitions, so there no difference between a nanosecond an an hour.
Maybe what you mean is more logic-related?...
No, I meant the physical explanation (I am a physicist, btw). It is possible for a system to exhibit features at certain frequencies, whilst only showing noise at others. Think standing waves, for example.
I agree that forking a consciousness is not a morally trivial issue, but that’s different from temporary suspension and restarting, which happens all the time to people and machines. I don’t think that conflating the two is helpful.
When does it ever happen to people? When does your brain, even just regions ever stop functioning, entirely? You do not remember deep sleep because you are not forming memories, not because your brain has stopped functioning. What else could you be talking about?
Hmm, I get a feeling that none of these are your true objections and that, for some reason, you want to equate suspension to death. I should have stayed disengaged from this conversation. I’ll try to do so now. Hope you get your doubts resolved to your satisfaction eventually.
I don’t want to, I just think that the alternatives lead to absurd outcomes that can’t possibly be correct (see my analysis of the teleporter scenario).
It is probably best for you to stay away from the physics/QM point of view on this, since you will lose: the states “between the computational elements”, whatever you may mean by that, decohere and relax to “thermal noise” much quicker than the time between clock transitions, so there no difference between a nanosecond an an hour.
Maybe what you mean is more logic-related? For example, when a self-aware algorithm (including a human) expects one second to pass and instead measures a full hour (because it was suspended), it interprets that discrepancy of inputs as death? If so, shouldn’t any unexpected discrepancy, like sleeping past your alarm clock, or day-dreaming in class, be treated the same way?
I agree that forking a consciousness is not a morally trivial issue, but that’s different from temporary suspension and restarting, which happens all the time to people and machines. I don’t think that conflating the two is helpful.
No, I meant the physical explanation (I am a physicist, btw). It is possible for a system to exhibit features at certain frequencies, whilst only showing noise at others. Think standing waves, for example.
When does it ever happen to people? When does your brain, even just regions ever stop functioning, entirely? You do not remember deep sleep because you are not forming memories, not because your brain has stopped functioning. What else could you be talking about?
Hmm, I get a feeling that none of these are your true objections and that, for some reason, you want to equate suspension to death. I should have stayed disengaged from this conversation. I’ll try to do so now. Hope you get your doubts resolved to your satisfaction eventually.
I don’t want to, I just think that the alternatives lead to absurd outcomes that can’t possibly be correct (see my analysis of the teleporter scenario).