Q&A: General Anesthesia
General Anesthesia
Question
I’m concerned about general anesthesia and the integrity of the soul.
In the past you raised a question about whether a person would be willing for a machine to take apart all his atoms and then rebuild them exactly, which could indicate whether he believes in a soul or not.
Is there some kind of rational concern about a state of general anesthesia, where consciousness is paralyzed?
Thank you
Answer
I didn’t understand the question. I don’t understand either the connection between its two parts or the question itself. Are you asking me whether, as a matter of fact, people are afraid of anesthesia? Apparently yes. But I’m not the right address for questions like that. Ask doctors or psychologists.
Discussion on Answer
Yaron, you missed the point of the machine example that takes you apart into atoms.
Think of it this way:
Would you be willing for a machine to duplicate you down to the level of the electrons in the brain (that is, so that all your memories, habits, and traits (?) are copied perfectly) and then behead the “original” you? If you don’t mind, think of it this way. You wake up in a room and they tell you that they duplicated you five minutes ago, and the duplicated you is in the next room (let’s assume you believe them). All that remains for you is to kill yourself. Would you do it?
If not, then apparently you believe there is something in you beyond the electrons in the brain.
Behead you*
Behead*****
Your consciousness is paralyzed in exactly the same way that it is paralyzed when you’re asleep. Ask them to operate on you without anesthesia….