Would you let a digital copy of yourself be made?

Cornstalks · 2013-01-18T12:25:26

For those of you who haven't watched Caprica, some explanation/background: Suppose there was a way someone could be "digitally copied"---their memories, emotions, personality, behaviors, nuances, etc. Everything that wasn't physical (but even then, this digital copy would project its own avatar as an image of the original physical person) was "downloaded" to a computer and existed in a virtual world (or worlds), kind of like the Matrix. The only difference between the digital copy and the original was just that: the original is physical and the digital copy is "software" (and if you're spiritual, perhaps the physical has an associated spirit which the digital copy lacks, but spirituality isn't my focus here). Other than this difference, the digital copy is you. Would you want this? You, the physical, original you? What if they could make you an artificial body that looked and felt human enough and loaded your digital copy into it? Would you want that? This opens up a bunch of possibilities and consequences, like holding onto a loved one after they pass, or blurring the line between what's real and what isn't. Personally, I don't think I would like this. When I die, I want my family and friends to move on and not cling on to something to (what I would call) an unhealthy degree. It's not a ticket to immortality, either, because it's the digital copy that lives on after you, not the original you. It's weird to think about. What do you think? Background: I just started watching Battlestar Galactica this week. I finished the first season in less than 24 hours, then I started season 2 and Caprica. I just finished Caprica and plan on continuing Battlestar Galactica. Most productive winter break ever