[extropy-chat] Identity (was: Survival tangent)

[John K Clark]

 Randall Randall <randall at randallsquared.com> Wrote:

> I would say that the particular running process of
> Randall Randall that is now typing this email
> (which you'll see a copy of shortly)

A copy? A copy! That just won’t do, send me your ORIGINAL E mail! And tell
me, are you satisfied with what happened to you from yesterday to today, and
would you be horrified to know the same sort of thing was going to happen
between today and tomorrow?

> The fact that this copy and some other copy are bit for bit identical will
> not matter to me

Well then explain to me exactly what will matter to you. What exactly do you
mean by survival? I have told you exactly precisely what I mean, I have
survived into tomorrow if there is someone there who remembers being me and
he sees no subjective discontinuity. For me that’s the end of the story, but
it’s not good enough for you, so tell me what am I’m missing? Don’t just
tell me you want that future person to be ME, don’t tell me you want ME to
continue, I want to know what the hell that means. I want you to be as
crystal clear in your survival specifications as I am. I have offered this
challenge on this list for over a decade and all I hear is “but it just
wouldn’t be me”. Childish.

> Nothing about the specific atoms matters

Glad to hear you say that, even though I know you don’t really believe it.

> it's the process.

So what process is your identical copy that thinks it’s you missing? No need
to answer I already know, it’s missing certain sacred atoms.

John K Clark