I see we differ here on a fundamental level in how we see consciousness. I'm not sure how to reconcile this.
The problem with this cloning idea to me is not so much the idea of the clones not being individuals, it's that I, personally, would not be who I believe myself to be. I would be, in this case, a replication of who I really am, a fabrication constructed from memories and data. Given that you are cybernetic, this may not be unusual to you, but it is a deeply distasteful idea to me. Again, this may be an area where we simply differ in our belief systems.
You say that my memories being altered is highly unlikely, and I would respond by saying that my sudden incarceration here, and my shift into this body, and the ability of every human in this place to suddenly speak my language, are all highly unlikely. In fact, impossible by my standards (the language problem in particular... humans do not have the ability to speak as VUX do, and yet, that is what I hear and speak). When you put the fabric of reality into question, I have absolutely no guarantee that in the process of shifting me from one body to another that my memories were not altered in some way. One could argue that just changing my body from a VUX to a human would entail altering my memories, so a human mind could access them! If this facility is capable of creating clones, with perfect memories of lives they have not personally lived, I see no reason why those memories could not be altered without our knowledge. After all, how would we know that what we "remember" is false, in which case?
If I insulted you, I apologize, that was not my intent. But I'm not sure if my issue with this concept is clear. If I am a clone, then my memories are, by definition, false, because this body did not experience them. They were given to this body, so it could better emulate my actual existence. If I am a clone of my original body, then my current existence in this body is a complete fabrication by some unknown entity for some unknown purpose. I was created, by something or someone, to specifically be this way. Either way, I am not who I think I am anymore. And I'm still dead.
This may be a fundamental difference in belief between the robotic/cybernetic and organic... in which case I'm not sure how to make my problem with this idea more clear.
I would take comfort in those words, but I'm finding it difficult to know when there's no longer any proof of what I know to be real, and everything I knew as objective has suddenly become subjective. But I suppose that's what this place is trying to accomplish.
no subject
The problem with this cloning idea to me is not so much the idea of the clones not being individuals, it's that I, personally, would not be who I believe myself to be. I would be, in this case, a replication of who I really am, a fabrication constructed from memories and data. Given that you are cybernetic, this may not be unusual to you, but it is a deeply distasteful idea to me. Again, this may be an area where we simply differ in our belief systems.
You say that my memories being altered is highly unlikely, and I would respond by saying that my sudden incarceration here, and my shift into this body, and the ability of every human in this place to suddenly speak my language, are all highly unlikely. In fact, impossible by my standards (the language problem in particular... humans do not have the ability to speak as VUX do, and yet, that is what I hear and speak). When you put the fabric of reality into question, I have absolutely no guarantee that in the process of shifting me from one body to another that my memories were not altered in some way. One could argue that just changing my body from a VUX to a human would entail altering my memories, so a human mind could access them! If this facility is capable of creating clones, with perfect memories of lives they have not personally lived, I see no reason why those memories could not be altered without our knowledge. After all, how would we know that what we "remember" is false, in which case?
If I insulted you, I apologize, that was not my intent. But I'm not sure if my issue with this concept is clear. If I am a clone, then my memories are, by definition, false, because this body did not experience them. They were given to this body, so it could better emulate my actual existence. If I am a clone of my original body, then my current existence in this body is a complete fabrication by some unknown entity for some unknown purpose. I was created, by something or someone, to specifically be this way. Either way, I am not who I think I am anymore. And I'm still dead.
This may be a fundamental difference in belief between the robotic/cybernetic and organic... in which case I'm not sure how to make my problem with this idea more clear.
I would take comfort in those words, but I'm finding it difficult to know when there's no longer any proof of what I know to be real, and everything I knew as objective has suddenly become subjective. But I suppose that's what this place is trying to accomplish.