Jayco424 t1_iwsvgxz wrote on November 18, 2022 at 2:23 AM

As long as normal continuity of consciousnesses is preserved, it's just as similar as the replacement of the atoms of the body, which cycle every 5-10 years depending on a person's age. A normal person doesn't hold that they died every time an atom or even all the atoms in the brain or body as a whole is replaced either. Death at least in my opinion can be best described as the total and irreversible interruption of consciousness of a primary being. This for example precludes things like Star Trek teleporters or mind uploads being non-lethal or leading to individual immortality because in both instances they produce only a copy of the original being.

beachmike t1_iwu6yd1 wrote on November 18, 2022 at 11:27 AM

I used to believe "continuity of consciousness" is what mattered, as you do. Where's continuity of consciousness when you've had a deep, dreamless sleep, or when you've been under anesthesia after surgery? Consciousness is the most fundamental layer of reality. It's not an emergent property of a sufficiently complex brain or mechanism. It's non-material, dimensionless, and eternal. The physical universe exists wholly within consciousness.