3/12/2005

Dear Dennis,

Well, my friend, this is not my original idea but it goes something like this: suppose there is a teleportation device which actually works in that a travellers awareness is actually reawakened in his travelled copy of himself on some distant planet or on the bridge of some distant space craft. What would happen if the original copy of the traveller was not destroyed – assuming that the device works as follows: The traveller is scanned and an exact copy of all his individual atoms and electrons and information regarding their exact constituents and links and bonds are transmitted to the required destination. Once the destination has received a full compliment of the travellers atoms etc they are faithfully reassembled and tested to ensure the absolute copy including all memories, intentions and hopes and deepest feelings and then the original is destroyed thereby leaving just the reassembled, awakened and fully aware traveller in his new location.

Could or would this duplicated awareness be in two places at once?

Presume some drug is administered to the traveller before the teleportation to render the traveller unconscious and motionless during the procedure.

Suppose the original traveller awoke prematurely – would the assisting technician then have to explain to the traveller

“sorry the drug wore off early but never mind your “other you” has safely arrived and is fit and well on (say) alpha-centauri, so we’ll just er, dispose of you’re “here self”, your er “redundant” copy, it will of course be painless”.

Just because a person is faithfully reproduced does it mean that person then exists in two places at once? Or are there now similar people but somehow different – just because they are made of the same atoms and electrons precisely copied ….. like a pair of books or two of the same computers perhaps ….. what makes it two different people as opposed to the same person twice?
All the best
D.