coppsilgold
14 minutes ago
A thought experiment:
One by one your neurons are replaced by their digital counterpart as a nano-scale computer in-place, with equivalent functionality. After which neuron number are you no longer you? You remain conscious throughout the process, the process may last however long with pauses for sleep.
After the replacement is complete, one by one these neurons are switched off with their functionality offloaded to their clone instantiated in a computer. After which neuron number are you no longer you?
This mind upload thought experiment convinced me that as long as there are no sharp discontinuities in experience, it makes no sense to ask what happened to the you. It also carries the implication that you are not your brain, but rather the abstract dynamical system instantiated in it.
ahhhhnoooo
4 minutes ago
Plenty of people (not tons, but many) experience loss of neurons through injury, disease, or aging. We generally consider the person to be the same person, even if their personality changes.
Likewise, as you grow in childhood, you create many many neurons. Again, you are still you throughout the experience of growing up.
I suspect in your thought experiment you'd remain you throughout. Honestly, a community I bet does a lot of thinking about the self and what makes you "you" is the trans community, given their experience grappling with bodies and identity already.
beeflet
6 minutes ago
No amount of replacement removes your sense of self. "You" become a machine.
I think the main thing that makes this inrealistic is the scale. In theory it also could take place on a larger level of discretization: chunks of many neurons.
I think it also matters what the nature of the replacement is. Is it possible for you to retain memories and skills throughout this intrusive process? Presumably, if the computer has "equivalent functionality".