Close your eyes and become the strongest adventurer.

Chapter 136 Substance Information and Perspectives

Xinia thought about it:
"The word 'heart' that everyone uses in everyday contexts should refer to consciousness, but in fact the physiological organ that carries consciousness is the brain, not the heart that is responsible for supplying blood."

"Because all memory information is stored in the human brain, it is these memory information that constitute the basic constituent elements of human consciousness."

"in my opinion."

"Heart signified refers to consciousness, and the essence of consciousness is the transmission, recording and storage of material information."

"Therefore, the information is also a physical reality."

"So, consciousness is an abstract form of expression after the aggregation of information in the material world, and it appears as a conceptual 'heart' in humans."

Xuan Yuan nodded:

"You're partly right, but not all right."

Xinia tilted her head curiously:

"why?"

Xuanyuan said:

"If according to what you said, the heart is consciousness, and consciousness is only composed of pure material world information."

"So, let's do a thought experiment."

"If there is a person now, let's call her A."

"A has all your memory, emotion, cognition, including all information related to your consciousness. No matter if you test from any angle of material, A is exactly the same as you, and has no connection with you in any aspect of material level. You are any different."

"Then, I'll ask you."

"If you could add 100 years to your life at no cost, would you like it?"

Xinia nodded and said, "Of course!"

Xuan Yuan continued:
"Then I'll ask again."

"As long as you are willing to die at this moment, that A who is exactly the same as you in terms of material information can not only inherit your remaining time, but even live an extra 100 years. Would you like to do this? You will think that it is an increase for yourself. Have you lost your life?"

Xinia hesitated:

"It does subconsciously feel resistance, and I don't want to."

"It felt like I was dead and someone else was living for me instead of me."

Xuan Yuan smiled and said:

"In the face of this problem, normal people will feel the same resistance as you. It is difficult to produce a psychological happiness that one has lived an extra 100 years, and it is also difficult to choose to agree without hesitation."

"If we say, heart = consciousness = material information aggregate."

"So, why can't you develop a sense of self about A subjectively? Why can't you accept that A is your own?"

"You obviously have the exact same material information, why would you not want to let you die to increase A's life?"

Xinia was lost in thought:
"Indeed, why is that?"

Without waiting for Xinia to think too much, Xuan Yuan continued to ask the next question:
"Next, switch to another situation."

"If the original you dies due to an accident, at the moment of your death, a living A is born. A is exactly the same as the previous you in all information levels, and even the psychological reaction is exactly the same."

"Assuming that you are the A that exists at this moment, and the original you has died unexpectedly, then I will ask you."

"Then, are you willing to let the current self die, and let the self that died in an accident be resurrected to live on your behalf?
Xinia sighed:
"Logically speaking, there should be no difference between me and A, so whether A lives or I live, it will not make any difference."

"But from my personal emotional point of view, from the perspective of A, I am still unwilling."

Xuan Yuan smiled and said:

"We go one step further."

"Actually, you didn't die accidentally at all, you just temporarily fell into a state of suspended animation. After A has appeared and lived for a while, you are awake at this time."

"As you just woke up, are you willing to choose self-destruction and let A live forever for you?"

Xinia shook her head and said, "Still unwilling."

Xuan Yuan smiled:

"Have you found it?"

"These cases actually have one thing in common."

Xinia put her hands on her knees and asked, holding her cheeks:
"What in common?"

Xuan Yuan said lightly:
"Perspective."

"When you and A exist in the material world at the same time, you will find that there are two different perspectives between you and A."

"Therefore, when the problem puts you in your own observation perspective, your decision-making will tend to preserve yourself instead of preserving A; but when you are in the perspective of A, your decision-making will tend to preserve A instead of the original Own."

"Let me give you another example, and you will understand."

"If, in an accident, your body becomes paralyzed, only your consciousness remains intact."

"At this time, all the information of your consciousness will be extracted through a certain technology, and then a new body will be copied for you. After all the information of your consciousness is transferred to the new body, we will call you A."

"Tell you, A's consciousness can never leave the new body, nor can it return to the old body, and the consciousness will be destroyed with the destruction of the new body."

"Now, you are required to choose between the old body like a vegetative person and the new body, choose one of them to continue to exist, and destroy the other."

"Would you choose without hesitation to let the new body exist and the old body to be destroyed?"

"After all, it's reasonable to do so."

Cynthia nodded.

Xuan Yuan clapped his palm lightly:

"That's the problem."

"Suppose I change the scene a little bit."

"In fact, your old vegetative body still retains your complete consciousness information, and the consciousness in your new body is actually a perfect copy of your existing consciousness, but no one told replica A that she is just a simple replicas."

"So, now that you are the original consciousness that has just awakened from the old vegetative body, will you agree with A's decision to destroy the old body and let the new body continue to exist?"

"If it's not for the clone A to choose, but for you who have regained consciousness from the old body to choose."

"At this time, what will you choose?"

Xinia suddenly realized:
"Then I will definitely choose to keep my old body instead of keeping A's new body."

"I have learned."

"That is to say, when I answer your question, which individual the 'I' puts my perspective on at that moment, I will have a cognition of 'I' on that individual, and thus try to protect' my decision."

Xuan Yuan nodded in appreciation and said:
"Yes, you understand quickly."

"Your sense of self just involves the continuity of the perspective of consciousness."

"For example, I just gave you this scene."

"In the beginning, your perspective was not interrupted, but you just switched the perspective of consciousness from the old body to the new body, so when you face the choice between the old body and the new body, you can abandon the old body without hesitation, because you because the perspective of consciousness is in the new body."

"However, when I tell you the inside story, let you realize that the consciousness perspective that originally existed in the new body is just the consciousness perspective of the clone."

"And your real perspective of consciousness is still in the old body, but it was interrupted by a coma halfway through."

"After waking up, there is no change in the continuity of your perspective of consciousness. It is always consistent in your old body."

"At this moment, as the person answering the question, your perspective of consciousness will also shift to the old body, and thus you will identify with the old body, and you will not be willing to choose to give up the old body."

"Because, at this time, your perspective of consciousness has entered the old body, and choosing to abandon the old body is equivalent to abandoning your perspective of consciousness that exists at this moment."

Xinia suddenly realized:
"I understand!"

"No wonder when I faced these scenes just now, I repeatedly made inconsistent choices."

"Actually, my choices have always maintained an internal consistency."

"That is, I have been trying to preserve this perspective of consciousness from beginning to end, rather than trying to preserve other things outside of this perspective of consciousness."

(End of this chapter)