Part

Part Three: The Thought Experiments

Each scenario in this part is a controlled experiment for your intuitions: identical replicas, teleporters, anesthesia, philosophical zombies, the test for originalness. The cases force a verdict the book then defends.

Chapters in this Part

1. 11The Identical ReplicaLet's make this concrete with a thought experiment.
2. 12The Continuing Replica And The Paradox It CreatesThe identical replica thought experiment establishes that your consciousness can be produced by another body. But a snapshot in time is not enough. What matters for immortality is continuity: not cont
3. 13The Teleporter ProblemScience fiction has given us one of the best thought experiments for understanding identity and consciousness: the teleporter.
4. 14The Anesthesia ArgumentOne of the most powerful everyday demonstrations that consciousness is produced by brain functioning, and that it can be interrupted and restored, is the experience of general anesthesia.
5. 15The Philosophical Zombie Meets The Ixperiencitness ZombieThe philosophical zombie (or "p-zombie") is one of the most famous thought experiments in the philosophy of mind. It imagines a being that is physically identical to you in every way (same atoms, same
6. 16The Test For OriginalnessHere is one more thought experiment that reveals the deep implications of our theory.
7. 17Experience Machines And Designed ConsciousnessImagine a device that could feed any sequence of sensory signals directly to your brain, bypassing your eyes, ears, skin, and all other sense organs. This device, which Ixperiencit Theory calls a sens