Even if the technology to restore a preserved brain or upload it into a simulation becomes viable technologically and monetarily people may still reject it for philosophical reasons. Practical problems can be solved through sufficient research and design, but philosophical problems may never go away.
Bah. Philosophical problems can easily go away with peer pressure.
Suppose the technology for uploading is reliable and cheap. Some people will try it. Then some of their friends will. At some moment, a celebrity will upload, followed by many fans and copycats.
When someone in your social circle has uploaded, you can either accept them as being “them”, or stop interacting with them… the remaining option, meeting them regularly and saying: “You are not the real John; the real John is dead, and left you as a fake ghost” is emotionally difficult. So most people will accept the uploads.
(This is true regardless of whether the philosophical problems are right or wrong.)
Bah. Philosophical problems can easily go away with peer pressure.
Suppose the technology for uploading is reliable and cheap. Some people will try it. Then some of their friends will. At some moment, a celebrity will upload, followed by many fans and copycats.
When someone in your social circle has uploaded, you can either accept them as being “them”, or stop interacting with them… the remaining option, meeting them regularly and saying: “You are not the real John; the real John is dead, and left you as a fake ghost” is emotionally difficult. So most people will accept the uploads.
(This is true regardless of whether the philosophical problems are right or wrong.)