Close your eyes and become the strongest adventurer

Xenia thought:

"The word 'heart' that everyone uses in daily context 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."

“Since all memory information is stored in the human brain, it is this memory information that constitutes the basic building blocks of human consciousness.”

"In my opinion."

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

"Therefore, this 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 entirely."

Xenia tilted her head curiously:

"Why?"

Xuan Yuan said:

"If according to your statement, the heart is consciousness, consciousness is just composed of pure information in the material world."

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

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

"A possesses all your memories, emotions, and cognitions, including all information related to your consciousness. No matter you test it from any material perspective, A is exactly the same as you, and is different from you in any aspect of the material level. You make no difference."

"Then I ask you."

"If you could live a hundred years longer at no cost, would you?"

Xenia nodded: "Of course I am willing!"

Xuan Yuan continued:

"Then I'll ask again."

"As long as you are willing to die at this moment, A, who is exactly the same as you in terms of material information, can not only inherit the rest of your time, but can even live an extra hundred years. Are you willing? Would you consider it to be for yourself? Does it increase lifespan?”

Xenia hesitated:

"I do feel resistance subconsciously, but I don't want to."

"It feels like I have died and another unrelated person is living for me instead of me living."

Xuan Yuan smiled and said:

"Faced with this problem, normal people will feel the same resistance as you. It is difficult to feel psychologically happy that you have lived an extra hundred years, and it is also difficult to agree without hesitation."

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

"So, why can't you have a subjective sense of self towards A? Why can't you accept that A is yourself?"

"You obviously have the exact same material information, why wouldn't you be willing to let A live longer by letting you die?"

Xenia fell into deep thought:

"Indeed, why is this?"

Before Xiniya could think too much, Xuan Yuan continued to ask the next question:

"Next, switch to another situation."

"Suppose the original you died due to an accident, and from the moment of your death, a living A was born. A is exactly the same as the previous you in all information levels, even including the psychological reaction."

"Suppose you are A who exists at this moment, and the original you died unexpectedly, then let me ask you."

"Then, would you be willing to let yourself die at this moment and resurrect the self who originally died due to an accident to live on your behalf?

Xenia sighed:

"Logically, there should be no difference between me and A, so whether A is alive or I am alive, it won't make any difference."

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

Xuan Yuan smiled and said:

"We're taking it one step further."

"Actually, you didn't die accidentally at all. You just temporarily fell into a state of suspended animation. After A appeared and lived for a period of time, you woke up at this time."

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

Xenia shook her head and said: "Still unwilling."

Xuan Yuan smiled:

"Did you find it?"

"There's actually one thing in common in these cases."

Xenia put her hands on her knees, cupped her cheeks and asked:

"What do they have in common?"

Xuanyuan said calmly:

"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 at the same time.”

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

"I'll give you another example and you'll understand."

"If you encounter an accident and your body is paralyzed, only your consciousness will be intact."

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

"Let me 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 and the new body that are in a vegetative state, and choose one of the bodies to continue to exist, and destroy the other."

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

"After all, it makes sense."

Xenia nodded.

Xuan Yuan clapped his hands lightly:

"That's the problem."

"Suppose I change this scene slightly."

"Actually, your old vegetative body still retains your complete consciousness information, and the consciousness in the new body is actually a perfect copy of your existing consciousness. However, no one told the clone A that she was just a simple 's copy.

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

"If it is not chosen by clone A, but by you who has recovered from your old body."

"At this time, what will you choose?"

Xeniya suddenly realized:

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

"I already understand."

"In other words, when I answer your question, whichever individual I put my perspective on at that moment, I will have a 'my' perception of that individual, and thus I will try to protect it." My decision."

Xuan Yuan nodded in appreciation and said:

"Yes, you understand quickly."

"Your sense of self involves exactly the continuity of your conscious perspective."

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

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

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

"And your true perspective of consciousness is still in your old body, but it was interrupted by coma in the middle."

"The continuity of your consciousness perspective does not change after waking up. It remains consistent in your old body."

"At this moment, as the person answering the question, your consciousness perspective will also shift to the old body. As a result, 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 consciousness perspective has entered the old body. Choosing to abandon the old body is equivalent to abandoning your current consciousness perspective."

Xeniya suddenly realized:

"I understand!"

"No wonder I made inconsistent choices repeatedly when faced with these scenarios."

"Actually, my choices always maintain an internal consistency."

“That’s what I’m trying to retain from the beginning to the end is this perspective of consciousness, rather than trying to retain something other than this perspective of consciousness.”