X-Message-Number: 19541
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 08:13:17 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #19522 - #19539

Hi everyone!

About having several identities: the main problem I see with this
idea is that in the literal sense these 2 people may start out as
identical but cease to be so once their experiences differ.
Not only that, but as an individual human being, each of them would
be reluctant to combine with ANY other, no matter if that other
was (up until a while ago) a copy of himself. However, supposing
that such reluctance is overcome or does not exist, what we have
is two DIFFERENT people merging into one. The fact that they were
once identical does not matter here; they are different at the
time of the merger, or else that merger means nothing at all.

Perhaps the question might be reformulated: what about the merger
of two people into one, with one identity (no cheating here with
several identities, as happens in some psychiatric conditions).
The fact that these two people were once identical is irrelevant
to this problem. And as a general point, given the necessary quite
nontrivial technology, I see no problem with such mergers.

The main problem with considering two people as identical is that
they aren't ... if they were, then they would be copies of one
another. If you decide to limit just what factors make 2 people
identical, then you have to be very careful, for otherwise you
will find that many people are "identical". Just what factors are
to be chosen to define "identity" here?

		Best wishes and long long life,

			Thomas Donaldson

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=19541