Suppose we have the capacity to copy and delete brains, but we don’t understand the brain well enough to manipulate it “to taste” much more than the clumsy ways we have today. (So no deleting specific memories, changing personality traits, etc.)
It seems to me that people would engage in a lot of “copy-suicide.” Is something upsetting you? Make a back-up, activate your copy, delete your own mind. Now it’s your double’s problem. If you have a big test coming up, you could turn off, let your double study, and only come back after you’ve passed.
Theoretically, you could fast-forward through life in subjective experience, only sticking around for the good parts. (Sometimes, though, your doubles might not do what you ask...) Emo types would suicide & copy hundreds of times a day, stuck in a loop: the sad version of wireheading.
If you have a big test coming up, you could turn off, let your double study, and only come back after you’ve passed.
There’s an obvious failiure mode here. What’s stopping my double from creating a new double to study, and then turning itself off? I’d end up with as many copies of me as I have storage space for, with the last copy, instead of studying, ordering more hard drives. This would not help my test scores.
Suppose we have the capacity to copy and delete brains, but we don’t understand the brain well enough to manipulate it “to taste” much more than the clumsy ways we have today. (So no deleting specific memories, changing personality traits, etc.)
It seems to me that people would engage in a lot of “copy-suicide.” Is something upsetting you? Make a back-up, activate your copy, delete your own mind. Now it’s your double’s problem. If you have a big test coming up, you could turn off, let your double study, and only come back after you’ve passed.
Theoretically, you could fast-forward through life in subjective experience, only sticking around for the good parts. (Sometimes, though, your doubles might not do what you ask...) Emo types would suicide & copy hundreds of times a day, stuck in a loop: the sad version of wireheading.
There’s an obvious failiure mode here. What’s stopping my double from creating a new double to study, and then turning itself off? I’d end up with as many copies of me as I have storage space for, with the last copy, instead of studying, ordering more hard drives. This would not help my test scores.
Real-world save scumming?
So, basically you’re wiping memories of things you don’t like?