Mind uploading in fiction

In this article, we will explore the impact of Mind uploading in fiction on contemporary society. Since its emergence, Mind uploading in fiction has generated endless debates and reflections in different areas, from politics to popular culture. In this sense, we will seek to understand how Mind uploading in fiction has shaped our way of thinking, acting and relating to the world around us. Throughout these pages, we will analyze different aspects related to Mind uploading in fiction, exposing its relevance in the current field and its projection into the future. This article aims to offer a comprehensive view of the topic, providing the reader with the necessary tools to understand and reflect on the influence of Mind uploading in fiction in our environment.

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Schematic representation of a mind being uploaded from a human brain to a computer

Mind uploading—transferring an individual's personality to a computer—appears in several works of fiction.[1] It is distinct from the concept of transferring a consciousness from one human body to another.[2][3] It is sometimes applied to a single person and other times to an entire society.[4] Recurring themes in these stories include whether the computerized mind is truly conscious, and if so, whether identity is preserved.[5] It is a common feature of the cyberpunk subgenre,[6] sometimes taking the form of digital immortality.[3][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Langford, David; Stableford, Brian (2022). "Upload". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  2. ^ Webb, Stephen (2017). "Mind Uploading". All the Wonder that Would Be: Exploring Past Notions of the Future. Science and Fiction. Springer. pp. 276–278. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-51759-9_10. ISBN 978-3-319-51759-9.
  3. ^ a b
  4. ^ Langford, David (2005). "Computers". In Westfahl, Gary (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-313-32951-7.
  5. ^ Blackford, Russell (2017). "Reshaping the Human". Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination: Visions, Minds, Ethics. Science and Fiction. Springer. pp. 173–174. ISBN 978-3-319-61685-8.
  6. ^ Booker, M. Keith (2014). "Artificial Intelligence (AI)". Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction in Literature. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-8108-7884-6. Cyberpunk writers and their successors have also frequently imagined the uploading of human minds into computers, thus creating a special sort of artificial intelligence that can free individuals of the limitations of biological bodies, a notion that would be notably extended in the work of Greg Egan.
  7. ^ Westfahl, Gary (2005). "Immortality and Longevity". In Westfahl, Gary (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 418–420. ISBN 978-0-313-32951-7.

Further reading