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[Lightningfalcon]

I can easily see where this will end up.  We will eventually get to the point that global corparations create augmented super-soldiers as 'Guards', and hostile takeovers will take on a whole new meaning. 
On the other hand if I can manage to get a job at DARPA I will get to create super-soldiers. 

But on the serious side, this would be very concerning for those of us who AREN"T wealthy enough to afford a multi-million dollar augmentation progress.  And what would happen if some wackjob gets a hold of an EMP bomb? 

[RedKing]

Bear in mind that we essentially *are* minds in a robotic shell. It's just that the shell is organic.

As for the mind, think of it this way: DOOM is a piece of code. The structure of that code was determined and constrained in part by the hardware it was written for (x86 PCs with limited RAM and processor speed). It's since been ported to God knows how many different platforms. In some cases, minimal modification was needed. In others, extensive rewrites were required. The end result though is outwardly the same.

Consciousness is essentially a piece of neural code that develops over time. It's determined and constrained in part by the physical structure of the brain. But there's no reason to think it couldn't operate on a different "platform". The trick is in learning enough about how the code operates to be able to port it.

And unfortunately, those sort of advances are several decades, if not centuries away.

[Frumple]

Dang, I tried to find a longish-quote from Transmetropolitan about this, but couldn't find it.

The gist of it is:
Are you still human if you lose a leg?  Of course!
Are you still human if you replace the leg with a prosthetic?  Of course!
Are you still human if you replace all your limbs with prosthetics?  Of course!

So at what point in replacing pieces of yourself are you no longer human?  The answer is never.  You can replace every single part and still be human.

Shit just got ship of theseus up in this joint.

Go go metaphysics derail!

[Darvi]

Pfff. Call me when the human species really is going extinct. I'll bring snacks.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

And unfortunately, those sort of advances are several decades, if not centuries away.

Fortunately, our other advances could allow us living to day to persist for decades, if not centuries.

[Levi]

Dang, I tried to find a longish-quote from Transmetropolitan about this, but couldn't find it.

The gist of it is:
Are you still human if you lose a leg?  Of course!
Are you still human if you replace the leg with a prosthetic?  Of course!
Are you still human if you replace all your limbs with prosthetics?  Of course!

So at what point in replacing pieces of yourself are you no longer human?  The answer is never.  You can replace every single part and still be human.

Shit just got ship of theseus up in this joint.

Go go metaphysics derail!

Wasn't a derail.  The point is that upgrading humans doesn't make us go extinct.

[Flying Dice]

But what is the mind?  As far as I can tell, the mind is entirely derived from the structure and function of the brain.  The only way to transfer it would be to mimic its structure in a new format.  That's not really transferring, that's copying.

Aside from actually pulling out your brain and putting it in a robot body, I don't see how you can have a continuous chain of existence.

There are mental illnesses that don't show any notably corresponding defect in the physical structure of the brain. In any case, the debate over whether psychology should focus on the brain or the mind is hardly a settled one. The mind is more than the physical structure of the brain, though the brain does change based on mental activity. I highly doubt that a cloned brain would have a mind identical to the original.

But yes, transferring the brain to an inorganic body would be the logical step, though of course the issue of discontinuity is the same with an entirely robotic body as it was with the teleportation discussion a while back. If possible, the ideal would probably be to maintain the mind operating simultaneously from the organic brain and artificial one, and then disconnecting the organic one. That's largely hypothetical, though. We don't really have the sort of information density needed to contain a human mind in electronics anywhere near as small as a human brain, IIRC.

[ChairmanPoo]

We've had to endure much you and I....

[lordcooper]

I want to be all robotic and stuff, but only if I get to keep my penis and also if drugs still work on me.

[Lightningfalcon]

Why would you need drugs?  Just hook up some neuro stimulizer thing. 

[pisskop]

I will not be getting a synthetic overhaul, with some exceptions.  My parts work fine, and in fact I have superior parts (most of them)  I was blessed with genes that somehow seem better than either parent, and more resemble distant family than them.

I would get ocular implants, and hearing upgrade.  I've always wanted a chip that lets me communicate wirelessly (or at least recieve data).  Mostly sensory stuff, health augmentations.  You might say I'm attached to my functional meaty parts.

New knees, though, and I'm not above retractable claws of some kind.

[Shook]

Well, as long as they don't fuck with my brain, i'm probably going to be fine. Your brain is where "you" are stored, so IN THEORY, you'd still be human if you were a working brain in a jar. In practice, however, i'd much prefer keeping the body i'm born with, it's been tuned by evolution over millions of years. Not to mention that right now, prosthetics aren't even remotely as dextrous as human limbs, especially hands. Potentially stronger and faster, yes, but it'll be quite a while before they can achieve the same level of dexterity. Until that happens, i'll be fine with these limbs, because my daily life requires far more fine motor skills than brute strength.

[Scoops Novel]

Yet another reason I'm thankful for EMP's.

[lordcooper]

Why would you need drugs?  Just hook up some neuro stimulizer thing.

I know what I like and I like what I know.

[Levi]

Yet another reason I'm thankful for EMP's.

Murderous much?

Just kidding, I'll have a remote backup.