From: Lee Daniel Crocker (lee@piclab.com)
Date: Thu Dec 13 2001 - 10:37:27 MST
> > I don't think there's anyone here who will rationally argue
> > with the contention that if I underwent a non-destructive
> > atom-by-atom copy process, two 100-kg lumps of matter would wake
> > up with the memeories I presently call "mine", as well as the
> > sensations, perceptions, values, desires, and intentions I call
> > mine. It doesn't matter to me which one I call "me", what
> > matters is what actual consequences will this action have on
> > the world, are they likely to happen in the future, and which
> > of them are good and bad?
>
> Given that it doesn't matter to you which one of a set of similar Lees is
> you, why do you care of any of them is? Do you in fact care if any of them
> is "you"? With respect to what do you judge the consequences of the action
> that you describe above? Why?
I'm not sure I parse those sentences well, but I'll try to answer: what I
(that is, the present 100-kg lump of matter I call "me") care about is
physical consequences. Will my present manifestation suffer pain or loss?
Will the copy compete with me for resources, friends, romantic interests?
Will society recognize my past accomplishments in both copies when we go
to look for work? Will society ostracize us for having done this? Do I
have to right to create that other 100-kg (Oh, all right, 104 :-) lump
of matter, knowing that it, too, will suffer the consequences of my
action, or is it morally equivalent to repropducing by other means?
Many of those consequences don't apply to the destructive-copy case, so
I don't fear that as much, because I believe the actual physical
experience of that will be little different from experiences I've
already had and am familiar with (sleep, movement, etc.). I certainly
understand why some people might fear that process because it resembles
the kind of "death" we currently fear (because it is currently
permanent). I can't say whether I, too, would have that fear if the
situation ever became real, but I'd like to think I could overcome my
evolutionarily programmed fear of death with my rational knowledge
that it is no longer the same thing my ancestors went through.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lee/> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past, are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC
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