RE: the Duplication Chamber

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Nov 20 2002 - 17:05:51 MST


Hal Finny wrote:

> I agree with GTS that if you use the MWI for the splitting,
> your chances of surviving are 0.001.

Good, I'm glad to see someone agrees with my interpretation of the
experiment.

> The fact that 999 other copies [of the program] existed for a
> while does not change the fact that we can identify a stream of
> consciousness from the beginning to the end.

But this is also true for real people in the MWI 1000 way chamber. 1 of
1000 alternates experience a stream of consciousness from beginning to
end. 999 are extinguished before the end.

> Here's a question for GTS. Suppose tonight I somehow made 999
> copies of you, unbeknownst to you. I let them run for a day and
> then killed them all. Would you say that this gives you only a
> .001 chance of surviving, even though you never knew it had
> happened?

If those other 999 are *true* copies of me from your perspective then
you must by definition have no way to distinguish them from me. We 1000
gts's all look exactly alike to you.

And you are charged with the task of killing 999 of us 1000.

Because you cannot distinguish the 999 copies of me from me, your
probability of killing me would be .999.

-gts



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