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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: matter transmission and duplication
Message-ID: <735@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 13:37:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.735
Posted: Fri Sep 27 13:37:06 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 07:30:33 EDT
References: <3617@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <109@netex.UUCP>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.UUCP (The Polymath)
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 55
Summary: 

In article <109@netex.UUCP> ewiles@netex.UUCP (Ed Wiles) writes:
>In article <3617@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>, DP0N@A.CS.CMU.EDU writes:
>> From: Don.Provan@CMU-CS-A
>  
>> you can walk into a disintegrator beam and have a copy of you made
>> on another planet if you want, but i'm fond of this particular copy
>> of myself.
>
>I know I have qualms about walking into a Trans Mat and having it fail,
>but taking the view that it kills you when the 'copy' is indistinguishable
>from the original is a bit radical.

There seem to be two key issues in this discussion:

1) Point of view.

From the point of view of the rest of the universe, it makes no  difference
whether  matter  transmission kills the original or not.  If the person who
comes out the other end is an identical copy then they're the  same  person
for all practical purposes.

From the point of view of the person being transmitted it matters very much
indeed (at least, it does to me).  This bring us to issue two:

2) The nature of consciousness and its reaction to the death  of  the  host
organism.

The problem here is we simply don't know.  Dozens of speculative  scenarios
come to mind, some more encouraging than others.

a) The original is dead and the new personality takes up where the old  one
   left off. (Thanks, but I'd rather walk).

b) The mind, liberated from the original body automatically seeks  out  the
   duplicate and re-installs itself. (How do we know?)

c) The mind is transmitted with the body and emerges intact  at  the  other
   end. (How do we know?)

d) Etc., etc.

I don't know about anyone else, but until we get some proven, reliable  way
of  communicating with a mind separated from any host organism (i.e.: proof
of continued consciousness after organic death), I  wouldn't  ride  in  the
damn  thing.  Given  such proof, I'd want to hear what such a consciousness
had to say about the matter transmission experience  before  making  up  my
mind.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI                    Common Sense is what tells you that a ten
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.             pound weight falls ten times as fast as a
Santa Monica, CA  90405           one pound weight.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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