Quantum theory of immortality (QTI), and a sprinkle-dink of Highlander
http://www.higgo.com/quantum/qti.htm
The theory postulates that your reality as you experience it (in a branching tree of possible universes) will go into universes where your consciousness continues, as opposed to other universes where you die (and hence consciousness stops). So, you can try to shoot yourself in the head many times, but you will never succeed (from your own point of view).
But what consitutes conscsiousness though? Obviously dreaming isn't considered being unconscious, since I slept last night and have many experiences where I dreamt (rather than experiencing a reality where I never sleep). What about 'clinical' unconsciousness, i.e. where you cannot be aroused (say, due to head trauma or drugs)? These don't fit either, since I've "experienced" (!) these. (Or rather, I believe I've experienced these, since they can't be experienced per se; but the facts of my experience point to me being unconscious for periods of time.) So is the distinction just between death and not-death? Where would being in a persistent vegetative state come into that? Is someone in a PVS dead or alive, in the QTI sense?
Perhaps the length of your potential unconsciousness has an effect: perhaps the longer you're going to be unconscious in the event of a certain outcome, the more likely that you will be to branch instead to a different universe where that event doesn't happen.
On the other side, imagine the length of unconsciousness doesn't matter: all that matters is that you regain consciousness one day along that universes' branch. This could be a little annoying if 50 million years down the road (after your death) aliens resurrect your consciousness, becuase it means you could be dead for 50million years first, according to your own experience. You'd miss out on 50 million years. (I doubt Fred Hoyle considered this scenario in his ideas regarding intelligence forming at the end of the universe and resurrecting everyone!)
If quantum immortality exists, it also poses some nasty possibilites, such as hideous pain and/or disfigurement which you experience for year and years (or maybe forever).
The Everett MWI FAQ is interesting btw...
http://www.hedweb.com/everett/everett.htm#faq
Btw, did anyone else watch the film Highlander and think "Immortality would be great until you fell into a load of cement and find yourself stuck there for 400 years, until the cement eroded enough for the other Highlander waiting outside to cut your head off"? Mortality is surely nature's way of preventing infinite boredom.
I also found myself wondering at which distance down the body of a Highlander would cutting them in half stop constituting beheading, and start being merely disfigurement?
The theory postulates that your reality as you experience it (in a branching tree of possible universes) will go into universes where your consciousness continues, as opposed to other universes where you die (and hence consciousness stops). So, you can try to shoot yourself in the head many times, but you will never succeed (from your own point of view).
But what consitutes conscsiousness though? Obviously dreaming isn't considered being unconscious, since I slept last night and have many experiences where I dreamt (rather than experiencing a reality where I never sleep). What about 'clinical' unconsciousness, i.e. where you cannot be aroused (say, due to head trauma or drugs)? These don't fit either, since I've "experienced" (!) these. (Or rather, I believe I've experienced these, since they can't be experienced per se; but the facts of my experience point to me being unconscious for periods of time.) So is the distinction just between death and not-death? Where would being in a persistent vegetative state come into that? Is someone in a PVS dead or alive, in the QTI sense?
Perhaps the length of your potential unconsciousness has an effect: perhaps the longer you're going to be unconscious in the event of a certain outcome, the more likely that you will be to branch instead to a different universe where that event doesn't happen.
On the other side, imagine the length of unconsciousness doesn't matter: all that matters is that you regain consciousness one day along that universes' branch. This could be a little annoying if 50 million years down the road (after your death) aliens resurrect your consciousness, becuase it means you could be dead for 50million years first, according to your own experience. You'd miss out on 50 million years. (I doubt Fred Hoyle considered this scenario in his ideas regarding intelligence forming at the end of the universe and resurrecting everyone!)
If quantum immortality exists, it also poses some nasty possibilites, such as hideous pain and/or disfigurement which you experience for year and years (or maybe forever).
The Everett MWI FAQ is interesting btw...
http://www.hedweb.com/everett/everett.htm#faq
Btw, did anyone else watch the film Highlander and think "Immortality would be great until you fell into a load of cement and find yourself stuck there for 400 years, until the cement eroded enough for the other Highlander waiting outside to cut your head off"? Mortality is surely nature's way of preventing infinite boredom.
I also found myself wondering at which distance down the body of a Highlander would cutting them in half stop constituting beheading, and start being merely disfigurement?