Eternal Life
Suppose that a nearly omnipotent being comes to you and offers you eternal life. "This is how it works", he says. "You'll live out your life and grow old just as you normally would. But, at a ripe old age, your body will regenerate to the healthy state it is currently in and you'll be able to continue living and growing old from that point onward. This will happen an infinite number of times. Moreover, I guarantee that you will never suffer or be bored. You'll seem to live an infinite number of exciting and interesting lives, each one psychologically connected to the previous one."
This seems like a good deal to me. Moreover, I have asked a few other people about this case and they also seem to agree that this is a good deal. However, here is a slight twist to the case.
Suppose that the nearly omnipotent being suddenly says "oh darn, I just remembered that I can't offer you that deal. However, I can offer you something else. Here's the new deal. Instead of an infinite number of sequential regenerations, I'll make you an infinitely multiply located individual. There will be a series of life-like events hosted by you at your various locations. Each life-like event will persist for another 50 or so years. Moreover, each life like event will have a successor in the following sense. The mental states that are involved at the end of any one life-like event will be psychologically connected to the mental states of its successor. Just as before, you'll never suffer or be bored. You'll seem to live an infinite number of exciting and interesting lives, each one psychologically connected to the previous one.""
My intuitions, and the intuitions of those I surveyed, seem to indicate that this is not such a good deal. Some even think that it is not a deal worth taking. That is, you are no better off if you take the deal than if you don't. But, let's add another twist to the case.
Suppose another nearly omnipotent being comes to you and says "I can't believe that other yahoo just offered you that second deal. That deal is not very good and I can offer you a better one. He is right that the first deal is off the table. The reason is that the universe is going to end just a few minutes after you reach that ripe old age of 90. So, we can't give you a sequence of regenerations and guarantee your safety. However, I can offer you something just as good. Just like in the first deal, you'll regenerate to your current healthy state when you reach a certain age. However, you'll also be warped back in time to the moment when you first take the deal. You'll then live another 50 years or so, regenerate again and time warp again. This will happen an infinite number of times. So, you'll have eternal life (in some sense), much like in the first case. I also guarantee that you will never suffer or be bored. You'll seem to live an infinite number of exciting and interesting lives, each one psychologically connected to the previous one.""
Again, the intuitions of those I surveyed seem to indicate that this deal is better than the second. In fact, it seems to be just about as good as the first. But, it is not exactly clear why. The third deal will have results that are significantly similar to the second deal. Why is it that the third deal is better than the second and the second is worst than the first even though the third has results that are remarkably similar to the second?
Here is a suggested answer: (1) Somehow the causal connections between the various life-like events and preserved in the first and third deal but not the second. This is why the first and third are good deals and the second is not. Notice that this response might require a kind of robust realism about causation. I am not sure if this is a good answer and I am not sure why these preserved causal connections are so great. Why is it that the second case seems significantly lamer than the first or third?
If anyone has an idea about why the first and third deal are better than the second, I'd like to hear them. And if anyone thinks that the suggested answer above is on the right track, I'd like to know why the causal connections are so important that they make the second deal significantly worse the the first and third.
This seems like a good deal to me. Moreover, I have asked a few other people about this case and they also seem to agree that this is a good deal. However, here is a slight twist to the case.
Suppose that the nearly omnipotent being suddenly says "oh darn, I just remembered that I can't offer you that deal. However, I can offer you something else. Here's the new deal. Instead of an infinite number of sequential regenerations, I'll make you an infinitely multiply located individual. There will be a series of life-like events hosted by you at your various locations. Each life-like event will persist for another 50 or so years. Moreover, each life like event will have a successor in the following sense. The mental states that are involved at the end of any one life-like event will be psychologically connected to the mental states of its successor. Just as before, you'll never suffer or be bored. You'll seem to live an infinite number of exciting and interesting lives, each one psychologically connected to the previous one.""
My intuitions, and the intuitions of those I surveyed, seem to indicate that this is not such a good deal. Some even think that it is not a deal worth taking. That is, you are no better off if you take the deal than if you don't. But, let's add another twist to the case.
Suppose another nearly omnipotent being comes to you and says "I can't believe that other yahoo just offered you that second deal. That deal is not very good and I can offer you a better one. He is right that the first deal is off the table. The reason is that the universe is going to end just a few minutes after you reach that ripe old age of 90. So, we can't give you a sequence of regenerations and guarantee your safety. However, I can offer you something just as good. Just like in the first deal, you'll regenerate to your current healthy state when you reach a certain age. However, you'll also be warped back in time to the moment when you first take the deal. You'll then live another 50 years or so, regenerate again and time warp again. This will happen an infinite number of times. So, you'll have eternal life (in some sense), much like in the first case. I also guarantee that you will never suffer or be bored. You'll seem to live an infinite number of exciting and interesting lives, each one psychologically connected to the previous one.""
Again, the intuitions of those I surveyed seem to indicate that this deal is better than the second. In fact, it seems to be just about as good as the first. But, it is not exactly clear why. The third deal will have results that are significantly similar to the second deal. Why is it that the third deal is better than the second and the second is worst than the first even though the third has results that are remarkably similar to the second?
Here is a suggested answer: (1) Somehow the causal connections between the various life-like events and preserved in the first and third deal but not the second. This is why the first and third are good deals and the second is not. Notice that this response might require a kind of robust realism about causation. I am not sure if this is a good answer and I am not sure why these preserved causal connections are so great. Why is it that the second case seems significantly lamer than the first or third?
If anyone has an idea about why the first and third deal are better than the second, I'd like to hear them. And if anyone thinks that the suggested answer above is on the right track, I'd like to know why the causal connections are so important that they make the second deal significantly worse the the first and third.
posted by Joshua at 9:11 AM
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