[extropy-chat] identity and copies, yet again

[scerir]

Location of that matter in space-time can always 
be measured which makes personal identity objectively 
verifiable.
Slawomir

'Seeing Double' is a simple, nice, little book, 
by Peter Pesic, MIT press 2002. It is about
'shared identities' in physics, philosophy,
and literature.'What, exactly, is my individuality?
To what degree is it unique? To what degree can it
be shared, and how?'.

Another good reading would be the paper 'A quantum 
mechanical automaton' by David Z. Albert. There are 
many 'technical' editions. But that one in 'Philosophy
of Science' vol. 54, n.4, December 1987, pages 577-585,
is a simple one, and philosophical too. More or less
the issue is this: a quantum mechanical automaton
can think, can feel, can be (self-)conscious. 
Unfortunately he cannot communicate, to others, his
own feelings, thoughts, (self-)measurements. Asher Peres
pointed out that the possible reason might be the very 
difference between pre-measurements and measurements. 

s.

'I have hardly anything in common with myself ...."
- Franz Kafka, 8 January 1914, Diaries 1914-1923