On 7/30/2016 1:14 PM, John Clark wrote:
On Fri, Jul 29, 2016 at 2:30 AM, Brent Meeker <meeke...@verizon.net <mailto:meeke...@verizon.net>>wrote:

    ​> ​
    I'm the one person I was a moment ago because I have all the
    memories of that person


​Yes.​

    ​> ​
    If duplicating machines are ever invented


​It's only a matter of time. I'd be amazed if it took less than 10 years and equally amazed if it took more than 100.​

    ​> ​
then we can choose some rough and ready legal definitions.

​Sure, but if history has taught us anything it's that what the law says and what is true are two entirely different things.​

    ​> ​
    But all this discussion of theories of personal identity seems
    more about semantics and pronouns.


​Getting the semantics and pronouns right is the first step, after that the personal identity theory could still be wrong but at least it's a theory and not gibberish.
--

But instead or arguing about whether "personal identity" is an identity (i.e. reflexive, transitive relation), which it isn't, why not just make up a new word for the concept that the Wman and the Mman are the "continuson" of the Hman but not of each other. And then explicate what is implicit in a the continuson relation. This is way science would proceed if we actually had a duplication machine. We'd make duplicates and we'd define continusation ostensively and then we'd study it's properties - instead of assuming things about computation and physics.

Brent


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