5 ms·

Once the brain has been powered off and the back on, is it even "you" anymore? Hasn't that person died and a new one was "born"? Used to go a little bit crazy

by Nux 2y ago

Once the brain has been powered off and the back on, is it even "you" anymore? Hasn't that person died and a new one was "born"? Used to go a little bit crazy thinking about this when watching people getting transported in StarTrek.

apitman 2y ago
See the Bobiverse books for some fun sci-fi on this.
augusto-moura 2y ago
If all the theory is correct, yes you are still you. Maybe damaged you, but you nonetheless. Imagine the ship of theseus thought experiment, but instead of replacing part by part you store it on a dry dock (lost its function), some time after you put it in the sea again (recover the function), for all effects this still is the ship of Theseus
lordnacho 2y ago
LOL, "we're not married, your husband died in the transporter". "Ah can I have his laptop? He's got some saved games he wanted me to have"
jryan49 2y ago
I like how the video game Soma showed it. If you fork a brain you kind of have a 50% chance of it continuing into the copy, and 50% chance of you being "left behind". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x790AjID0FA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x790AjID0FA
- jprete 2y ago
  I get the point, but I think the most self-consistent answer is that your conscious experience has a 100% chance of staying in the original body. (And similarly for destroy-and-remake teleporters.)
  - ddq 2y ago
    Indeed, the coin toss explanation "Catharine" uses on the Simon copies is merely a manipulation to ensure he continues following her instructions so that the ARK is launched, obscured to the player by the necessary mechanic of always controlling the surviving Simon copy. The only "real" Simon died in Toronto.
sdwr 2y ago
Thinking about that is like getting spooked by your reflection in a mirror - instincts being used in a situation where they don't apply. If there's only one you at a time, neither you nor an outside observer can tell the difference.

by Nux 2y ago

apitman 2y ago

See the Bobiverse books for some fun sci-fi on this.

augusto-moura 2y ago

If all the theory is correct, yes you are still you. Maybe damaged you, but you nonetheless. Imagine the ship of theseus thought experiment, but instead of replacing part by part you store it on a dry dock (lost its function), some time after you put it in the sea again (recover the function), for all effects this still is the ship of Theseus

lordnacho 2y ago

LOL, "we're not married, your husband died in the transporter". "Ah can I have his laptop? He's got some saved games he wanted me to have"

jryan49 2y ago

I like how the video game Soma showed it. If you fork a brain you kind of have a 50% chance of it continuing into the copy, and 50% chance of you being "left behind". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x790AjID0FA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x790AjID0FA

jprete 2y ago
I get the point, but I think the most self-consistent answer is that your conscious experience has a 100% chance of staying in the original body. (And similarly for destroy-and-remake teleporters.)
- ddq 2y ago
  Indeed, the coin toss explanation "Catharine" uses on the Simon copies is merely a manipulation to ensure he continues following her instructions so that the ARK is launched, obscured to the player by the necessary mechanic of always controlling the surviving Simon copy. The only "real" Simon died in Toronto.

sdwr 2y ago

Thinking about that is like getting spooked by your reflection in a mirror - instincts being used in a situation where they don't apply. If there's only one you at a time, neither you nor an outside observer can tell the difference.