Would teleportation by cloning yourself on the other side and killing your current self matter outside the ethical issue that you technically killed yourself?

2 months ago 30

As we all know, our body is just a composition of a ton of atoms. What separates each of us is that we have a specific composition of atoms that differentiate us through physical features, memories, etc. My argument for why I answer "Yes" to the above question is the fact that the atoms that make up your body constantly changes. This means that outside the fact that most of your memories carry on (some of our memories are unreliable or not completely true), you as a person have changed. The "you" that exists before is technically dead, but their memories live on inside the new "you".

We as humans only experience the present and we use the memories of our past selves to help us re-experience what was and its these memories that help us feel the sense of time and continuity between past and present. If technology that supported teleportation through cloning and killing exists, all that would happen is that a new "you" will be created with the same set of memories which would have happened anyway. Disclaimer: I think this type of teleportation might not be that bad if the original "you" doesn't feel pain, not if you feel pain.

One other thing I want to talk about is given the fact our current present self will die over and over as time passes leaving only memories for our future "self", how would this affect short-term happiness and long-term happiness. For someone that cares about their memories being passed on, long-term happiness is still great, but for someone that doesn't, would living your best life in the present be better? Since you kind of die after the present passes, does working or studying for long hours to prepare for the future worth it if only the "you" in the future that had memories passed on to them can reap the benefits.

I personally think a mix of short-term happiness and long-term happiness is ideal. I technically can't enjoy my present since I live for less than a nano second before my body changes its composition slightly, so prioritizing the present only doesn't really feel right. Additionally, being a good human being towards yourself even if its not the exact version is common decency. Above all this, given how insignificant our lives are, worrying about things won't really do anything. If we are programmed to seek happiness for that sweet dopamine hit, then why not? Certainly it feels a lot better than the opposite side of happiness, though technically we are also programmed to worry about things which doesn't help.

Last words: I would really appreciate any comments or criticism given that I am limited to my own perspective and thought process until further input from others.

submitted by /u/ComfortableBig9157
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