Short story about back up technology

[Rynn]

I stumbled across a short story by Greg Egan that might be of interest to you all. It's called "Learning to be me" and takes place in a not-too-distant future in which everyone has a backup brain in their skull. The story follows a man as he grows up and gets to the age where it is medically advisable to have one's entire natural brain removed and live through the implant (which doesn't degrade like the natural brain does). His battle with identity is the key theme, one which is made all the more interesting with how the back up operates.

http://will.tip.dhappy.org/blog/Compress...20Be%20Me/

[stevebowers]

I have, in the past, given the label 'Changeling' to a human or other biont with their brain replaced by artificial technology. It seems that in OA the human skull would be too small to contain such a replacement until some time after the Technocalypse - maybe it could be possible if the brain replacement was connected to a larger, remote installation - or maybe this tech could be achieved by the newly ascended GAIA at or around the time of the Great Expulsion. If such a Changeling were created at that date, then it would be entirely possible for such an entity to survive until the OA Current Era - although there is no real guarantee that such an entity would retain many recognisable traits after such a long timespan.

[Drashner1]

Interesting - I gave this a read over lunch and rather enjoyed the story

Reminded me that, especially in the early part of the setting, the philosophical issues around Backup technology probably caused a lot of stress for a lot of people. By Y11k Backups are ancient tech and taken for granted in many places. The philosophical issues have presumably been resolved in one form or another across most of Terragen civ. But in the earlier part of the timeline, things would have been a lot less settled.

Todd

[Rynn]

Reminded me that, especially in the early part of the setting, the philosophical issues around Backup technology probably caused a lot of stress for a lot of people. By Y11k Backups are ancient tech and taken for granted in many places. The philosophical issues have presumably been resolved in one form or another across most of Terragen civ. But in the earlier part of the timeline, things would have been a lot less settled.

I find the idea a bit odd too. For something to be "Me" and not "Copy of Me" it would have to have continuity, though I fully appreciate that the quality of continuity isn't a constant (e.g. a period of unconsciousness is less continuous than a period of being awake). Which is why I find Egan's model of backup interesting. Rather than being a periodically updated static copy the implants are actually running a conscious mind and are being kept in sync by the natural brain. I'd still take comfort in the knowledge that, should I die with only an off-site static backup, a version of me would still exist. Mostly because of how much pain that would save my loved ones but also out of a feeling of fraternity with other instances of my/our identity.