Topic Hub
Thought Experiments
Replicas, teleporters, anesthesia, and other tests of intuition.
Thought experiments are how the book stress-tests its claims. Each one is a scenario engineered to surface what you actually believe about identity, continuity, and what makes you you.
Concepts in this Hub
Identireplica
An identical replica. A body whose structure and functioning are identical to yours at a moment in time. The simplest case the theory examines.
ReplicasCidentireplica
A continuing identical replica. A body that maintains structure and functioning identical to yours over time. Both bodies produce the same awarepath simultaneously.
ArgumentsTest for originalness argument
If two bodies produce identical consciousness, no test could determine which is the "original". The argument uses that fact to show that originalness is not a real property.
Where this Shows Up in the Book
- Chapter 11. The Identical Replica
- Chapter 12. The Continuing Replica And The Paradox It Creates
- Chapter 13. The Teleporter Problem
- Chapter 14. The Anesthesia Argument
- Chapter 15. The Philosophical Zombie Meets The Ixperiencitness Zombie
- Chapter 16. The Test For Originalness
- Chapter 17. Experience Machines And Designed Consciousness
Go all the way
The book treats thought experiments in full, including the moves and counter-moves this site only sketches.