Re: Sincere Questions on Identity

From: John Clark (jonkc@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Fri Dec 14 2001 - 09:34:39 MST


    Me:
>>If the external world can not objectively determine if you are the copy or
>>the original, and if internally you can not determine subjectively if you
>>are the copy or the original then it means it doesn't matter if
>>you are the copy or the original.

Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com> Wrote:

>You are right, as far as you go. But I think the phrase "doesn't matter"
>is incomplete. It doesn't matter "for some purposes".

I don't understand. If it doesn't matter objectify and it doesn't matter
subjectively where exactly does it matter?

>The way I know that I am not my twin is that I am inside a body I
>call "me" here. My brother is in a similar body over there. I can never
>confuse the person "here" with the person "there".

Sure you can, all I'd have to do is swap sensory inputs with your copy and
you'd get very confused very fast. I don't think asking for the position in space
where "you" exists is meaningful, it's like asking for the coordinates of "fast" or
"red", but if you do have a position it would be where your sense transducers are.
The position of your brain is irrelevant as long as it's not so far away that time
delay becomes important.

>Internally, each copy can easily distinguish itself from the other.

How? How would you feel differently if I'd killed the original last night
and you are the copy? How would you even know it had happened
if I didn't tell you?

       John K Clark jonkc@att.net



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