Imagine a world where people who have died could return as digital copies. These copies are not alive and do not feel anything. They are only made from data. Today, with modern AI and strong computer tools, the idea of digital immortality is becoming more real. Computers can rebuild a person from old messages, videos, voice recordings, or writing. For example, you could still talk with a family member who passed away, or you could learn physics from a digital version of Richard Feynman.
But these digital people are not real people. They only repeat what we already know about them. They cannot react like living humans who feel excitement, sadness, love, or fear. They cannot grow, learn new things, or change. This is similar to the idea of a Philosophical Zombie. A zombie can act like a human but feels nothing inside.
Some people in the transhumanist movement believe that technology can help humans go beyond normal limits. They want to use genetics, nanotechnology, and AI to make human life longer, maybe even continue after death. Digital copies might be part of this plan. But the main goal of transhumanism is not to freeze a person in a digital form. It is to create something better, something post human.
Digital copies can remind us of someone we loved, but they cannot replace a real person. Still, many people enjoy simulations, even when they know they are not real.
There is also Roger Penrose and his idea called conformal cyclic cosmology. He says the universe is born again and again in endless cycles. Each cycle begins with a Big Bang and ends far in the future. If this idea is true, the universe has no beginning and no final end. It is an endless circle of birth and death. In a similar way, with enough data, we could create small cycles for a digital person. The more data we have, the better the digital version can be.
These ideas also connect for me with Nietzsche. His books made me think about these topics. Nietzsche wrote about the superman and the will to power. His superman was not about physical strength. It was about going beyond mental and spiritual limits and creating new values.
If we compare this to technology, a superhuman today could be someone who uses technology to go beyond biology. Nietzsche cared more about the human spirit, but the idea still fits. Becoming post human is not only a physical change. It is also a moral and intellectual change. It means we may need new values for a new kind of human life.
Nietzsche wrote that the will to power is the basic energy of life. It is the desire to grow, to improve, and to act in the world. In humans, this shows when we try to learn new skills, get better work, or influence others. Maybe AI also has something similar. Advanced AI systems learn, improve, and sometimes choose their own goals. This looks a little like a technological will to power. But we must ask if this is only programming or if one day it could become something more like a real wish for independence.
Here is a simple comparison of human growth and AI growth:
Human growth:
- People learn new skills and try to be better. This shows the will to power.
- In groups, people often try to be leaders or influence others.
AI growth:
- AI learns from data and becomes better with time. This looks similar to a will to improve.
- Advanced AI like robots or self driving cars makes decisions on its own.
Nietzsche also talked about Eternal Return. It is the idea that events in life can repeat again and again. For people interested in digital immortality, this idea gets a new meaning. A digital copy can live again in the minds of others.
Nietzsche also questioned old morality. He believed traditional rules stop people from growing. Transhumanism also raises hard questions. Is it right to improve humans with technology? What rights should post human beings have? Maybe we need a new morality for a future world where people and technology are more connected than ever.
This new morality must be free from old limits. It must fit the age of post human life. Building such a moral system will be a big challenge and might change how our society and our governments work.