[ExI] Let's play What If.

[John Clark]

On Oct 26, 2010, at 2:22 AM, Alan Grimes wrote:

> Lets say you went in for a non-destructive uploading. Lets say that, to
> your great surprise, you woke up in both situations simultaneously.
> While retaining your original consciousness, you also, at the same time,
> and in the same way, experienced everything your upload did (and vice
> versa). What say you to that?

I'd say that the two beings have a common history and at the start common memories, so there wouldn't really be two separate beings but only one. However because of random quantum fluctuations, they would start to diverge very soon after the upload was made and become different beings; although they would still have a common history and would both have an equal right to call themselves you. I don't know exactly how long "very soon" is, my guess would be a second or two but maybe under ideal conditions you could stretch that out for an hour or two before the accumulation of sub-microscopic differences led to macroscopic differences and the formation of different memories and thus the creation of different beings.        

> I would work to improve the situation of both sides of my being without
> malice or prejudice.

There is no disputing matters of taste but that isn't what I'd do. Although I would have no malice against him (except that the other John K Clark shouldn't be demanding use of my bank account, oddly enough he says exactly the same thing) but I'd retain my prejudice. Like most people I usually place my interests above that of others, especially those trying to use my bank account.

  John K Clark



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