Examples multiplicity

Imagine the situation where a modified duplicate of an old person is created. The modifications are that the replica, or as awaretheory would call it the videntireplica, of the original old person is that the body is the same as the old person had at twenty years old but the videntireplica's brain has the same structure and functioning of his nervous system as the old person has except that it now has the properties of a young brain with the ability to learn and process information like a young man does. Now imagine the process the old man walks into the device that scans this body and takes this information and creates another body that is specifically transformed to make it like it was when it was younger. But the process keeps the brain essentially the same except making the cells young again. The connections and neurons in the brain remains the same, except when the consciousness is modified by the younger cells, then the brain is modified so that it will produce a continuation of the same consciousness with the same skills memories etc., that the old man has.

For simplicity we will name them as old Pete and young Pete. What old Pete experiences are all the tiredness, pains, and aches that an old man has as he gets scanned. Then he walks out of the scanner and returns to the room where he waits for young Pete. He thinks that he does not feel any different, his body does not look any different, consequently, he feels that this whole process was a waste of time, money, and trouble. What young Pete experiences is the same as what old Pete experienced walking into the scanning room, being scanned, and then walking out feeling some what different. He looks into the mirror and see a young version of himself. He does not feel tired and does not seem to have the aches and pains that he did before. He understands that he is now a younger version of himself. But then he thinks "Can I remember all of the things that I remembered before this change"? He remembers many experiences through out his life. But the ones that are most clear and numerous are the ones that he recently experienced. He thinks that maybe they are not his real memories but ones that have been implanted. So he decides to compare. His memories to that of old Pete's memories. So he walks into the room where old Pete is waiting. Old Pete says "I thought that I was supposed to become young again with all may memories abilities etc., still intact?" Young Pete says that "I look like I used to look like when I was younger. I feel young but are my memories the same as yours?" When young and old Pete compare memories they find that they seem to be identical but young Pete seems to retrieve the memories quicker than old Pete does. Old Pete says "we are two different people you are not me"! Young Pete says "you are right if I were you would not I be experiencing the same thing as you are now? They both agree that they are not the same person! They should get their money back!

They both leave and go back home. But whose home is it. To old Pete it is his home and all of his neighbors know him as being old. But young Pete says that every one knew that I was being made younger today. So they will be expecting me to be young. Old Pete says "that he knows the passwords by memory to all the financial information so only he has access to all of the money." Young Pete says "I have all of the information in may memory that you do in yours plus I can go and do things faster than you do like accessing the money." But old Pete says "I have this gun and I can kill you. Since you are me I can't have killed myself if I am still alive so I will not be in any trouble with the law." Young Pete says that "I can do the same also. But you won't because I would not do it to you. We are just not that kind of people. Plus you are likely to die before me."

Lets think about the situation for a while. If you had died in this process of may replication, I would have been happy with the situation, I would have been young again with the possibility of a much longer life. If I would have not been created there would not be you (me) experiencing living longer. If you old Pete die tomorrow the only difference between us will be one day of different experiences that you have had that I will not have had and visa versa. Your experiences will be of a poorer quality than mine because you are older and in more pain (unless I do soe thing stupid like get in an accident). If I continue to do what you do for the next day before you (theoretically) die then our experiences will be more alike. But if I go out and do something completely different our experiences will be very different for a day. Can't you old Pete be glad that I can continue to experience things as you think you would have? I know you and me and I know that I am happy when people that I care about have better life experiences. So since I am the closest thing to you and if you like yourself you should like and care for me as well. It seems that I am a different version of you and you are now a different version of me.

Old Pete, since you are not happy with the situation they are going to fix the situation, you can go in to be scanned tomarrow. Old Pete having already having experienced the process of replication was not sure that he wanted to go through it again, Not that it was difficult but he did not want another copy of himself to deal with. He was promised that his would not happen. Old pete walked into the scan room and what seemed like a few moments walked out. He did not feel the pains or tiredness that he had before. It was worth the process just to avoid the the feeling of being old. When he walked by a mirror he was amazed that he actually looked young again. This process actually works he said to himself. When he walked outside he saw a person walk over to him. It was a person that looked exactly like himself. "Who are you he said" The person said "you are me yesterday; they made a copy of me as I was yesterday when I was made, using your old body matter." What? I do not remember a yesterday! What you experienced as old Pete between yesterday and today is gone because you are a copy of the way I was yesterday without my memories of the past day or the old Pete's memories of the past day either. There is no old Pete any more just you and me. We are both a conscious continuation of the old Pete and you are a copy of me as of yesterday. But I am made of the old pete's matter so that makes me the actual old Pete and you are just a copy of him. But you are just a copy of me the way I was yesterday without my new memories. I have had a day of experiences that are now memories that you will never have.

They have come up with a new solution to our problem of personal identity. This time we both went in to the scan room. I fully expected to be terminated. But the next thing that I remember I was walking out of the scan room. I looked and felt and looked exactly like I did before I went in. The process does not work! I still feel and look old. I went home and died of old age a few years latter. I walked out of the scan room feeling the same a young and positive Pete. I asked the representative how they solved the problem since I was still here? We do not kill anyone as you though we would we made you exactly as you were when you walked in but we used a third of the matter that your copy was made of which is a third of the matter the old original Pete was made of. We made the old Pete with one third of the matter that he originally was made of and sent him home without him knowing of the other two of you. As long as he does not know about you there is no problem about his stuff and money being shared. You have youth and his memories, personality, and ixperiencitness but not the consciousness that he is experiencing now. You know that there are several actual existing versions of you, and many potential versions of you. What happened to the other copy of me? We haven't made him yet. But when we do he will experience exactly what you did when you walked out of the scan room. He will think that no time has past, until he goes outside and sees that years have past. To him it will seem like he (you) have traveled into the future. You will likely be there as an old man. He will experience a different life than you but it will still be you because it turns out that "you" are much more than the consciousness that your current body produces.

big Discussion: The question of what makes the same person over time becomes very difficult to solve when the solution is given as a simple answer. In this case the simple answer is the concept that there is only one person that is the same person over time. It can be argued that the cases that are suggested in the above story can never actually happen so we never need to deal with these situations. It is equivalent to developing a theory about carbon atoms when you assume that carbon can make 7 bonds and not just 4. If carbon can never have 7 bonds why do we have to have a scientific theory about seven bonds for carbon. It is true that many aspects of science is not dealt with until there is a need or interest. The case of the same person over time is not the same type situation as the seven bonds carbon atom. There is a useful theory for carbon atoms. There was until awaretheory no good scientific theory of personal identity over time. The solution is out the box so to speak as are so many scientific theories. There are many variable conditions for determining personal identity over time. Awaretheory uses the ixperiencitness concept to determine personal identity over time.

different for that period of time.