Intriguing post, but we should approach these topics with extreme epistemic humility. Our understanding is likely far more limited and confused than we realize:
1. Abstractions vs. reality: Concepts like “self” and “consciousness” are abstractions, not reality. As Kosoy analogizes, these might be like desktop icons—a user interface bearing little resemblance to underlying hardware.
2. Mathematical relations: Notions of “copy” may be a confused way to discuss identity. “Consciousness” could be a mathematical relation where only identities exist, with “copies” being imperfect models of that identity.
3. Cognitive limitations: Our mental architecture, optimized for our local environment, may be fundamentally ill-equipped to grasp reality. “Consciousness” itself might be an ill-defined concept arising from these limitations.
My default is epistemic humility. Acknowledge the veil of ignorance and the possibility that there is no universal resolution.
Thank you, mishka, for your thoughtful response. You’ve given me a lot to chew on, particularly regarding the potential of focusing on chemotherapy treatment timing. While I’ve explored AI-driven health research, I hadn’t fully appreciated how important treatment timing, diet, exercise, and other factors may be for people in my situation.
There’s a mountain of data in this area, and using AI to predict salient data could potentially lead to improvements in how we approach chemotherapy. This seems like a practical and timely research direction, assuming it is still somewhat niche.
I appreciate your input.