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Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#11

Post by hxegon »

veryworried wrote: post #8
matchbok wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pain exists in the brain, not the body.

No matter how hard I think, I cannot seem to manifest any true pain in my mind. I doubt a pig could either.

Well I'm sure you doing the thought exercise is the same as killing yourself and then reviving yourself 4 hours later to see if you feel any pain, we should all really defer to your scientific ethical expertise in the future.

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#12

Post by keithwhor »

veryworried wrote: post #3

I don’t see why they bothered drugging the brains. Even if they became conscious, the pig’s bodies are dead and gone. There is nothing to feel, one is simply alone with their thoughts, perhaps even dreams.

You have no way of really understanding the magnitude of endless existential dread or physical pain a disembodied brain might perceive, which I think is the primary concern of ethicists.

In order for these sorts of experiments to be ethical with an apparent consciousness we definitely need BCI technology that can simulate input / output stimuli, at least reasonably.

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#14

Post by ssully »

veryworried wrote: post #8
matchbok wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pain exists in the brain, not the body.

No matter how hard I think, I cannot seem to manifest any true pain in my mind. I doubt a pig could either.

I don't think it's that hard to imagine that at a minimum a sensation like phantom pain existing in this scenario.

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#15

Post by fhoaq »

Sharlin wrote: post #5
veryworried wrote: post #3

I don’t see why they bothered drugging the brains. Even if they became conscious, the pig’s bodies are dead and gone. There is nothing to feel, one is simply alone with their thoughts, perhaps even dreams.

We don’t know what a brain disconnected from all sensory inputs feels. It could be agonizing pain for all that we know.

...they are pigs.

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#16

Post by yathern »

veryworried wrote: post #8
matchbok wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pain exists in the brain, not the body.

No matter how hard I think, I cannot seem to manifest any true pain in my mind. I doubt a pig could either.

Just because your brain is where all feelings 'exist' doesn't mean you have the ability to manifest it at will. But the brain does plenty of things to us that we don't want. I don't think excruciating pain would be something a brain-in-a-jar would feel - but it's possible that being deprived of all sensory connections would cause things to get weird quickly. Sort of like phantom limb syndrome!

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#17

Post by fmihaila »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #13

Throwing it out there—when I'm dead, you are totally allowed to resuscitate my brain. Better than being dead. Please make sure I am supplied with some good books to read, if at all possible.

> Throwing it out there—when I'm dead, you are totally allowed to resuscitate my brain. Better than being dead.

Are you comfortable with the possibility that those who are reviving you might not be doing it for your benefit?

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#19

Post by sitkack »

veryworried wrote: post #8
matchbok wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pain exists in the brain, not the body.

No matter how hard I think, I cannot seem to manifest any true pain in my mind. I doubt a pig could either.

The nerves that feed the brain are severed, that might feel a lot like total pain. The parent's comment wasn't about manifesting pain through thought.

Re: Pig brains partially revived four hours after death

#20

Post by Wowfunhappy »

fmihaila wrote: post #17
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #13

Throwing it out there—when I'm dead, you are totally allowed to resuscitate my brain. Better than being dead. Please make sure I am supplied with some good books to read, if at all possible.

> Throwing it out there—when I'm dead, you are totally allowed to resuscitate my brain. Better than being dead. Are you comfortable with the possibility that those who are reviving you might not be doing it for your benefit?

I think so. Still better than being dead.

(If they're explicitly trying to cause me pain, that would be a no.)

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