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Personal Identity

Siliconisation

(Text as at 06/07/2023 00:43:12)

*** THIS IS NOT THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS NOTE ***

Plug Note¹

• Thesis Text:
  1. “Siliconisation” is a name – there may be others – for Thought Experiments² involving the gradual replacement of neural tissue by silicon computer³ chips.
  2. An example is Peter Unger’s “zippering”. Unfortunately, I can’t find the reference for this, so it is possible I’ve either misremembered the term, or forgotten the author. Unger does discuss the gradual replacement of neurons by silicon in pp. 122-123 of "Unger (Peter) - The Physical Approach To Our Survival", but I couldn’t see the term used there.
  3. Anyway, this is a subtle argument. We don’t – of course – know whether this TE⁴ is metaphysically⁵ possible⁶. We don’t know whether silicon can sustain consciousness⁷, though functionalists⁸ assume that it can. Gradually, it is said, we no longer have a human animal⁹, but one that will – behaviourally at least – be indistinguishable from one.
  4. I think the situation is best viewed as an increasingly mutilated human animal¹⁰ with an ever-growing prosthesis. The term for such is a “Cyborg¹¹”.
  5. I doubt that the silicon would maintain phenomenal consciousness¹² but just be a “zombie¹³” simulacrum.
  6. Any replacement that would maintain phenomenal consciousness¹⁴ would be indistinguishable from natural part-replacement. But I think this is a contingent, empirical matter, a long way off from an answer.
  7. A question I’ve considered is whether siliconization would preserve the First Person Perspective¹⁵, irrespective of whether it impacts on consciousness¹⁶.
  8. I just note here that “silicon” is used as a proxy for any non-carbon-based intelligence¹⁷. Germanium, or Qubits might do as well (or better), though quantum¹⁸-computing¹⁹ might change the game somewhat.

• ---

  Further Remarks:
  1. I’ve found it difficult to come up with a reading list for this topic, though it must be covered in multiple papers. So, I’ve listed anything vaguely relevant.
  2. I have included a few papers in the reading list that might naturally be better at home in one or other of my other Notes.
  3. In this regard, there is also an overlap with – and references from – my Notes on:-
     • Androids²⁰,
     • Bodily Continuity²¹
     • Brain²²,
     • Causality²³,
     • Computers²⁴,
     • Consciousness²⁵,
     • Functionalism²⁶,
     • Homo Sapiens²⁷,
     • Non-Human Persons²⁸,
     • Haecceity²⁹,
     • Transplants³⁰,