However it also seems to be a persistent series of events for the 'other' me who has arrived at the other end. Both are me and they only diverge after the cloning takes place. So no I would not say 'excellent' because while I may already be there, I also am already here and they are by now two separate and different people.

I do not believe that there is any 'spark' or soul. If you were destroyed and recreated instantly you would continue on as if nothing had happened.

Except... it wouldn't actually be you.

Example.

There are many chevy cavaliers built to exactly the same specifications.

They all aren't the same car.  They are infact many different cars.

The copy after being telereformated would infact be a copy.  Not the orginal you.

The original you would be dead.  The you who walked into the telereformer would cease to be... and it's place would be a different you who thinks he's the original.

The orginal you would be dead... or in Vagabonds scenario... still there.

The original lifeform would of died.  YOU would no longer feel, instead a copy of you would that wouldn't be you.

You as an idividual are committing suicide.

Ironically if you did beleive in a soul... that would have  a chance of the telereformer NOT killing you... but if you don't believe in a soul.  It actually does always kill you.

So you're fine with him shooting you as long as he does it fast enough that there isn't a divergence in experience? That's nonsensical. I won't repeat what kasz has already wrote. And for the record, I don't believe in any soul either.

Ok lets change the hypothetical situation slightly. If you were to be destroyed and one Planck time later recreated in exactly the same spot with exactly the same electrical signals and chemical balances would it still be you? I cannot see how it can possibly not still be you unless there is something about a human that cannot be explained by the matter and energy we consist of - unless we have some form of soul.

Given that I don't believe in a soul I do not believe that there is any difference between the 'old' me and the 'new' me and as such it would seem to me a continuation of my life as normal.

Now what is the difference between that and me being recreated somewhere else?

The same difference between two chevy cavliers or two PS3s.

Though made up by the same parts they are not the same product.

A Person who is an exact copy of me is just that... and exact copy.  They are not the orginal.

Two PS3's are exactly the same yet they are not the same PS3 are they?

Ironically you try to treat this as an soul issue... when in reality you are the one treating humans differently then every other living thing out there.

No I'm not, any living thing, instantly destroyed and recreated would behave in the same way. All creatures are simply interactions of matter and energy as far as I can see.

You're not even arguing about living things, PS3's and Cavaliers are not relevant to this because they do not have a consciousness which is what this debate is about.

Can you reply to the hypothetical situation of destruction and recreation in one Planck time in exactly the same state? Because I cannot think of any answer to it.

What is consiocusness?

If we follow the "no soul, no god" standard... consiousness is nothing more then an evolutionary devleopment provided by the brain that gives humans an evolutionary advantage via the ability to adapt our enviroment to fit ourselves instead of being forced to adapt to the enviroment.

The consiousness is no more "me" then my heart or my lungs or anything... the telereformater is destroying everything me.  The end, period.

You are romatisizing it... giving consiousness soul like qualties.  Which is ironic.

Besides that consiousness over there is a new one... created from the old.

The moment any living thing is instantly destroyed, I'd think the consciousness would be terminated.

What happens afterwards - whether a clone is made somewhere or not, should be irrelevant.

I do know that consciousness is nothing more than chemicals and electrical signals. However from my very first statement we have been talking about the continuation of consciousness and so I don't see why you're trying to change the subject now.

@c0rd. Can you say why you think consciousness would be terminated from the point of view of the actual physics of it?

Edit: @Kasz. Alright I'll bite. The reason I'm giving the consciousness soul like qualities is because the soul was largely invented to explain consciousness. By their very nature they have very similar properties in places.

That's not a change in subjet.  It's the bare facts.

When your destroyed and reformed the contiunation of consiousness is broken.

That new body has a new consiousness that is a clone of the past one... like copying a computer file.

They've both got the past... the same hisotry in which it's been modified... but are totally different entities... and if they were artificial intellegence which had consiousness... this would not be changed.