Musings on Altered Carbon
Introduction
Altered Carbon is a Netflix Television series based on the book of the same name. A futuristic television show in which humans have quantified the soul and have digitized it. Such that it is now possible to duplicate it and transfer it. This is a look at theoretically feasibility and challenges.
For Altered Carbon to exist (according to its logic) The Soul or self along with memory is quantifiable and can be transposed into any body but does not diminish if a genetic copy of the self is used.
Thus there are four main questions that need to be addressed:
What is the soul or self specifically, such that it can be quantified and contained?
Where is memory stored and how?
Is memory separate from the self?
And finally, why does the soul or self, degrade when not in its own body?
The Problem of Consciousness
Now consciousness potentially arises from the FOX P2 gene. The language gene, as we think in words, so goes the theory that consciousness arises from language. Yet this is likely the hardware interface, not the software we are after.
This brings up the fourth point why does the mind/soul degrade when not in its genetic body?
A possible answer lies in String Theory and Quantum Mechanics. If things are connected visa vi invisible strings and enough of them connected could create its own frequency. Thus the mind/soul not in its own body would create a fundamental disharmony between the two. Specifically frequency, similar to an out of tune/half tuned instrument. If you play music it isn’t quite the same, but still, it is playable.
From strictly a biomechanics view, every brain is different. While made up of the same material the structures, neural pathways etc would not directly map one to one with another person.
Thus like a replacement part, small gaps or gouges like a pearl would cause irritation.
This would also explain memory; as memories are decentrally stored and changed when accessed. Decentralization is assumed for the brain only has a central processor, the hippocampus, and no known central storage. If there was a central bank there would be no need for the change in accessed memories. It can be reasonably be assumed that memories are separated into components compressed/recoded when needed. Which would also explain why certain senses can trigger certain memories even though it disembodied. Thus neural pathways when using another host would lead to fractures in memory and habits. As the scattered compressed files could not be accessed without an error 404 message appearing.
Following the logic of Altered Carbon, the soul and memories are software that can only properly function on specific hardware. This is confirmed by the show’s idea of “Double Sleeving” or two copies of you existing at the same time.
“A mind that has been stretched, cannot go back to its own dimensions.”
The quote also brings up an interesting point. If you copied the same person twice, via double sleeving. Both would start at the same point but due to being locked in four dimensions and thus unable to occupy the same place in space and time; they would invariably differ from each other eventually. Thus what would happen if you transplanted the mind from one into another even though they differ?
Well, this can be seen with some of the main characters who back up their minds every twenty-four hours or so. Yet the genetic clones of these individuals are not ageing. Even the richest people cannot be put into younger looking bodies without mental damage. So we get a few more clues.
Memory and the soul can be frequently stored and transplanted into age similar genetic hosts.
Genetics matter, but so does age.
Now, this is important because one could not continue to keep growing/ ageing clones as the clones would eventually age into mortality. As this would remove the main incentive and reason to have a clone.
Yet the changing of memories suggest that there is enough similarity between the changed host and the stasis state such that one can transfer over with no repercussions. Once we bring the age factor in it becomes slightly more clear.
The brain structure regardless of genetics is a key factor here. As a former state would be akin to a new host as the neural pathways have not formed or been pruned. Thus the Host needs a genetically identical host with similar enough brain structure (age) such that a transfer does not cause mental/soul degradation.
New research suggests the potentiality of memory being linked to RNA. Which would make sense given its decentralized nature and rewrite-ability. It would also add to the validity of epigenetics and explain the lack of degradation between identical genetic hosts. Although this brings up the potentiality of a memory transfer to other individuals. Another topic for another time.
So Where does the Soul/Mind exist?
So what is the soul/mind/self and where does it reside? Again likely decentralized otherwise we would have found it. Especially given the extensive vivisections and lobotomies we have historically done. Which brings us to the famous psychological case of Phineas Gage.
Phineas Gage was a quiet and well-mannered man who was involved in an accident while working. An explosion caused a piece of rebar to perforate his head, passing through his prefrontal cortex. He managed to survive, although he became irrational, short-fused and childish. Now is this the same person? On the surface no, but if we believe the soul is software yes. For while his personality is different, his genetic body and mind are the same (minus the damage). It is unclear if his memories or “soul” was damaged due to the idea of decentralization.
If it wasn’t since the Body tends to like to make redundant copies if important information everywhere (and why not for the most valuable component). It stands to reason you could drop this man’s soul/consciousness of the damaged body into a genetic copy and he would be perfectly fine.
If the Soul/Mind has only a single copy within the body. Then downloading the man’s consciousness from the damaged body to the undamaged one would be akin to trying to unpack or read a damaged computer file. Impossible to read or use. Only when you manually unpack it do you see all the contents and even then it is still a mess. Piecing it back together is unlikely and even then it is a mosaic rather than a picture.
Is Memory Separate from Consciousness/ The Soul?
The question of memory and consciousness linkage is a fairly common medical problem. It’s known as Alzheimer’s. Is the person with Alzheimer’s still the same person or are they a husk of a once former self? Is the same person unable to express themselves due to biomechanical failings; are the flashes or moments of clarity suggestive of this? Or is it a cutting/ unravelling of quantum strings, which as it progresses the loss of self continues until only a shell remains.
So what is the Soul?
Is it the knot at the centre of every etherial metaphysical string that makes up you?
Is it a crossed biomechanical wire that causes you to perceive yourself thanks to the FOX P2 Gene?
Coda
This dear reader is where I leave you. For if I knew the answer, likely you would too and the world would be very different…