[ExI] [tt] Identity thread again

Rafal Smigrodzki rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com
Tue Apr 7 03:33:13 UTC 2015


On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 12:57 PM, John Clark <johnkclark at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Apr 6, 2015  Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Well, I don't know about your copies, but my copy, after looking up its
>> location and determining it is a copy created to accomplish a goal, would
>> self-destruct in accordance with the decision that I, a mind identical to
>> it, made before being copying.
>>
>
> You think the other guy should slave away to accomplish some task and then
> kill himself, but if the other guy's mind is identical to yours then he
> thinks exactly the same thing and obviously that could lead to conflict.
> Science can find no difference between the original and the copy but
> whenever thought experiments of this sort come up people ALWAYS put
> themselves in the place of the original. ALWAYS. Just once as a mental
> exercise try putting yourself in the position of the copy. Would you even
> believe me if I told you that you were the copy? Even if you did believe me
> would you happily jump into a volcano if the original told you to? Why
> doesn't the original jump into the volcano, the two of you are identical so
> what makes him better than you?
>

### Of course I would. I would remember the decision to make a copy, and I
would know where the copy ends up. I would have no doubts about my position
and I would pursue the course of action I decided to follow before I made
the copy, the decision being incorporated into copy. There would be no
possibility of conflict. Obviously, I put myself in place of the copy AND
the original when indulging in this thought experiment. Obviously I would
act to further my ends, whether it means jumping into a volcano. Just to be
sure you realize - either the original of me or the copy would be willing
to jump. I might make the decision to make a backup copy in a safe place,
and then I, the original, would jump into the volcano. Seriously. You may
feel I am a bit funny in the head, and I guess you are right. I don't
expect all people to feel the same way I do.

I am one, but I hope to become many.

Rafał
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