From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@ricochet.net)
Date: Wed May 30 2001 - 00:09:23 MDT
Emlyn wrote:
>I think you may be getting at the idea that the human sense of identity is
>basically illusory... that what we call the self is not something real, and
>as it is not easily preservable there is no point worrying about it.
>
>I agree that the sense of self is largely illusory. However, it's a
>cherished illusion! I'm pretty attached to it, personally, and I don't see
>any really good reasons to change that.
I don't think anyone has shown that it is illusory, and I don't think it is.
>> However, knowing that a being which is 'exactly me'
>> would carry on seems sufficient to me to end my own
>> existence. And why shouldn't it?
>Um, because it actually isn't you?... Thus, no matter how similar
>another being is to me, it's still not me, and doesn't influence
>in any way my personal decision whether to exist or not.
Emlyn, a number of us believe that if an exact copy of you is made,
then you and your duplicate are the same person. (Not that this
view isn't difficult to get used to, and not that it doesn't have
awkwardnesses.) You may be interested in my story
http://leecorbin.com/PitAndDuplicate.html
Lee
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