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Looking at a speculative creative writing prompt about consciousness from GPT for 10 minutes
I got this writing prompt from GPT:
I think it interpreted my request as looking for a creative fiction writing prompt, and it's not something I can do in the 10 minutes I have today anyway.
But I do want to recognize that the answer to this question is more nuanced now than it would be in the past. Although I didn't really identify with the social group, even 3-5 years ago, I would have scoffed at this from a sort of transhumanist perspective. The scoffing would look at this and go: yeah, of course if you can transfer the consciousness, i.e. the information from the original body, then that should be enough to preserve "you", and there really isn't a philosophical problem here.
Now, though, I think I take consciousness a lot more seriously, rather than it being a placeholder for "the soul". My answer would focus a lot more on what the heck it actually means to "transfer consciousness". What kind of information is being transferred? Is it implied in the prompt that people understand what consciousness is, or is it that through technology, they apparently give arise to consciousness in artificially generated beings, whether mechanical or biological?
In this parallel universe, is consciousness perhaps a very different phenomenon from what we (don't) understand it to be in our universe, i.e. is it much more simplistic and soul-like?
The funny part is that I find the philosophical questions are front-loaded in the interpretation of the prompt, and part of that is because the reality we live in is more counterintuitive, and weird in a way, than this particular fictional speculative reality. Hmmmm.
In a parallel universe, humans have mastered the technology to transfer consciousness between bodies. This innovation was meant to extend human life, eliminate disease, and even allow people to experience different physical forms. Wealthy individuals can afford to switch bodies regularly, while less fortunate people can only afford older or less desirable bodies.
However, this practice raises a myriad of ethical and philosophical questions. Are you still "you" if you change bodies? Does the value of life change if we can live indefinitely?
Your main character is a philosopher in this society who has decided never to transfer their consciousness, believing that our bodies are inherently tied to our identities. This makes them a societal outsider. One day, they are offered an opportunity to change their stance and switch bodies for the first time for a greater cause.
Explore the internal and external conflict your character faces, as well as the societal repercussions of this technology. Can your character preserve their philosophy and identity, or will they have to redefine what these concepts mean to them?
I think it interpreted my request as looking for a creative fiction writing prompt, and it's not something I can do in the 10 minutes I have today anyway.
But I do want to recognize that the answer to this question is more nuanced now than it would be in the past. Although I didn't really identify with the social group, even 3-5 years ago, I would have scoffed at this from a sort of transhumanist perspective. The scoffing would look at this and go: yeah, of course if you can transfer the consciousness, i.e. the information from the original body, then that should be enough to preserve "you", and there really isn't a philosophical problem here.
Now, though, I think I take consciousness a lot more seriously, rather than it being a placeholder for "the soul". My answer would focus a lot more on what the heck it actually means to "transfer consciousness". What kind of information is being transferred? Is it implied in the prompt that people understand what consciousness is, or is it that through technology, they apparently give arise to consciousness in artificially generated beings, whether mechanical or biological?
In this parallel universe, is consciousness perhaps a very different phenomenon from what we (don't) understand it to be in our universe, i.e. is it much more simplistic and soul-like?
The funny part is that I find the philosophical questions are front-loaded in the interpretation of the prompt, and part of that is because the reality we live in is more counterintuitive, and weird in a way, than this particular fictional speculative reality. Hmmmm.