throwaway924t2

There was an episode with a transporter accident, but the energy/essence ("soul") still remained and could be transferred to a backup copy. This implies that the energy/soul is also transported.

Death affects other people, so why would you kill yourself or another?

If you had the choice of pushing a button that would kill a total stranger that you never met, would you do it? If not, you can use the same argument for your friends. Sure they may be replaced by identical copies, but they will still experience feelings, although they are technically not your old friends

My view is that it's just a change in consciousness. Just like closing your eyes does not reset your sight, sleeping does not reset your brain. You just turn off some of your senses