Laoch comments on Rationality Quotes: April 2011 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: benelliott 04 April 2011 09:55AM

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Comment author: Laoch 05 April 2011 11:11:28PM 4 points [-]

Doesn't general anesthetic count? I thought that was the turning off of the brain. I was completely "out" when I had it administered to me.

Comment author: Kevin723 09 April 2011 05:01:14PM 4 points [-]

if i believed when i turned off my computer it would need to be monitered by a specialist or it might not ever come back on again, i would be hesitant to turn it off as well

Comment author: gwern 09 April 2011 06:09:02PM 2 points [-]

And indeed, mainframes & supercomputers are famous for never shutting down or doing so on timespans measured in decades and with intense supervision on the rare occasion that they do.

Comment author: Desrtopa 05 April 2011 11:17:56PM *  4 points [-]

It certainly doesn't put a halt to brain activity. You might not be aware of anything that's going on while you're under, or remember anything afterwards (although some people do,) but that doesn't mean that your brain isn't doing anything. If you put someone under general anesthetic under an electroencephalogram, you'd register plenty of activity.

Comment author: Laoch 06 April 2011 08:24:54AM 1 point [-]

Ah yes, didn't think of that. Even while I'm concious my brain is doing things I'm/it's not aware of.

Comment author: JohannesDahlstrom 07 April 2011 05:58:43PM 5 points [-]

Some deep hypothermia patients, however, have been successfully revived from a prolonged state of practically no brain activity whatsoever.

Comment author: Kevin723 09 April 2011 04:59:36PM 0 points [-]

as is your computer when its turned off

Comment author: David_Gerard 05 April 2011 11:14:56PM 0 points [-]

And people don't worry about that because it's one people are used to the idea of coming back from, which fits the expressed theory.