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Try this thought experiment. Imagine there was a replicator that could take an exact copy of your current atom states and replicate them somewhere else while ke

by nev 17y ago

Try this thought experiment. Imagine there was a replicator that could take an exact copy of your current atom states and replicate them somewhere else while keeping you perfectly intact. Doesn't have to be physical - could be replicated by a computer program. Now here's the thing - you would still feel like you, looking out of your eyes. The other versions of you would be distinctly separate to you - not you. That bit that makes you feel you are you - that's what some would call consciousness and others would call a soul.

coffeeaddicted 17y ago
Imagine your replicate is put in a world without oxygen. It would very fast feel rather different from you despite being identical. You assume consciousness is an inside state which can be copied. But it could as well be a process in constant need of an external influence which might refuse to connect to your replica. Like the difference between standing and flowing water - watched only in one instant they might seem identical. And while the solution would certainly be to copy the world as well, as long as we can't define consciousness we can't really say for sure how much we would have to replicate.