From: E. Shaun Russell (e_shaun@uniserve.com)
Date: Sun Feb 23 1997 - 16:23:39 MST
A few random thoughts on this subject:
1) No matter what happens, the clone will be wholly different from the
'clonee' at the point of cloning. As I stated a few months back in my
theory of consciousness, the clone and the clonee will be their own
entities. Even in the most sheltered cases, the clone will at least have
a different point of view as the clonee. The streams of consciousness will
ultimately be different between the two. The cells that replenish and die
will be different cells; for example, if the clone accidentally scratches
his\her\its hand, the replenishment of cells will take a different course
than the cells on the unscratched hand of the clonee.
In effect, the likeness of the clones (not particularly physical likeness)
will gradually differ.
/
/
pre-cloning /
---------------------* post-cloning
\
\
\
2) In some ways, it is unfortunate that this cloning technology didn't
develop until after an adequate space program had been established. As Hal
Finney mentioned, it will take the general population a while to warm up to
the idea of cloning. I think it would be quite beneficial to send an
umpteen amount of individual clones on a number of spaceships heading in
various directions to colonize distant planets etc. Not to say that this
won't happen eventually.
3) I wonder (in the advent that this technology becomes usable within a few
decades) if there will be a prejudice or a fear towards clones. With the
lack of tolerance and acceptance for many 'minority' groups today (however
irrational it may be) such as gays and different races, it is possible that
clones will be dubbed as 'abnormal' or --as I can envision religious groups
protesting-- sacreligious and blasphemous. That would be unfortunate, in
that it would be a regressive step.
Ingredi Externus!
-E. Shaun Russell
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0
~~~:~~~> E. ternity E. Shaun Russell
:~~> E. xpansion e_shaun@uniserve.com
:~~~> E. xtropy Extropic Artist,
Transhumanities editor for
"Between the idea and the reality falls the Homo Excelsior Magazine
Shadow" --T.S. Eliot ("The Hollow Men") http://www.excelsior.org
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