Re:The Hayworth-Miller 2019 Debate About Brain Preservation
by ericb on Monday September 14, 2020 @05:08PM
(#24475177)
It isn't a matter of thinking less of the clones--they'd probably be my best buds, probably closer than family. They'd understand that we are not the same person also.
My clones would understand the example is rhetorical to prove the point we absolutely do not share consciousness. That, all things being equal if I die, the movie in my head stops playing, and the one in their head keeps going, but does nothing for me. And since all that is the case, it proves we cannot be the same because our location in space and time is different, and there is no sharing of thoughts, and they can exist entirely independent of whether I exist or not, or even whether the clones have clones.
“Of course I have a preference!” I said at the same moment my completely perfect identical duplicate said exactly the same thing.
“I want to live!” I shouted, pointing at myself. My completely-absolutely-100%-identical-at-the-quantum-level duplicate shouted the same words and pointed at himself instead of at me.
The entire reason that I care and I’m upset by the comparison with plastic forks, is because I think most people think less of the copies, even though the copies will be just as much a living breathing human capable of suffering and joy as the actual original.
You’re not the first person I’ve encountered to use this sort of example to try and prove their point. I’m still not sure I even understand the worldview that you’re espousing well enough to try and actually engage with it properly.