Ep 73: Mind Uploading: The Key to Eternal Life? with guest Dr. Michael Hauskeller

mind uploading

The newest seekers of immortality are on a radical quest: mind uploading.  These people think that it may be possible to take all of the information locked within the folds of creases of their brains and upload it to the internet.  Decoupled from their mortal bodies, they would be free forever. Free from suffering, free from pain, and free from death. It’s the ultimate step for the transhumanist.

This seems a bit far fetched, and perhaps it is.  Still, there are companies that seek to do exactly this.  And even great thinkers such as Stephen Hawking think it may be possible.

Today I’m joined by another great thinker, philosopher Dr. Michael Hauskeller.  Michael is a professor and the Head of the Philosophy department of the University of Liverpool in England.  He often grapples with concepts such as transhumanism, the philosophy of death, and today, talks to us about whether he thinks it’s possible to upload your mind to a computer.

Through this seemingly far-fetched concept of mind uploading, we delve into really deep philosophy such as what causes consciousness, what is the difference between the mind and the brain, and what fundamentally makes us human.

Check out Michael’s new book : The Meaning of Life and Death.

Some of the background music you heard were clips from https://filmmusic.io: Dreams Become Real, Skye Cuillin, and Dirt Rhodes by Kevin McCleod (https://incompetech.com) licensed under CC BY 4.0.  Other songs were clips from Melancholicose by Phazor and ukeSounds by airtone licensed under CC by 3.0.

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