But there is such a thing as "good enough for all intents and purposes". I didn't say any transfer has to be perfect, or that the media is absolutely perfect, o

But there is such a thing as "good enough for all intents and purposes". I didn't say any transfer has to be perfect, or that the media is absolutely perfect, or that it has to be done for free, with no energy consumption, etc. just that if we achieve practical interstellar travel and can transfer consciousness to a machine I'd say the tech will be advanced enough for these issues to not be the major concern. You're introducing additional constraints and expecting my previous comment to account for them. Theseus's ship, theoretically you are not the same you from 10 years ago, cells have changed, DNA was altered, shape, consciousness, etc. are all slightly different. But for all intents and purposes you are you. So having a "good enough" copy of yourself may just be enough. Once it's in a machine it does not matter anymore. Thermodynamics allowed this comment you are reading now to be transferred from my mind to your mind (in its literal form, regardless of personal interpretation) or at least from my keyboard to your screen exactly how it was intended, with no discernible loss of fidelity. You're taking the purely theoretical stance where it's not the same photon of information. I'm taking the practical stance where it doesn't have to be. And even losing some bits of your data might not be a practical concern.