Would you use a teleporter?

[DefunctTheory]

The teleporter challenges the very notion of death really. By all conventional knowledge, teleporting a living being should be impossible to do, and is basically the same as being able to create new life (Something which is impossible as of today, at least on a multicellular creature).

So no, I would not, as the 'thing' coming out on the other side would not be me.

But are you really you ten seconds from now? Or do you just constantly inherit memories from someone who just stopped existing, which creates an illusion of a continuous existence? You are in constant motion after all and you couldn't tell the difference if every molecule and atom in your body was changed right now.

The only difference to teleportation would be that you'd never know you "died". How do you know that isn't already happening to you every second?

Imagine this: What if the teleporter didn't have to destroy you on one end to create you on the other? So... now there are two yous? Or is that a COPY of you?

Thats the difference between continued existence and the stop/start you describe. In one, no matter what, one is linked to his 'future' self and that self alone. In teleportation, just a small tweak will result in a separation between 'self' and the duplicate of 'self.'

 

[Halceon]

Most definitely yes! Now, of course, i'll want to see extensive with transporting highly complex organic structures before i step into one. But i will not hesitate afterwards.

My greatest concern is the device's inability to scan and/or reconstruct my body correctly. Most importantly - synapses. Most other changes can be negligible - a hundred eritrocytes here or there are insignificant, but miswiring my brain... yeah, no thanks.

 

[Halceon]

The teleporter challenges the very notion of death really. By all conventional knowledge, teleporting a living being should be impossible to do, and is basically the same as being able to create new life (Something which is impossible as of today, at least on a multicellular creature).

So no, I would not, as the 'thing' coming out on the other side would not be me.

But are you really you ten seconds from now? Or do you just constantly inherit memories from someone who just stopped existing, which creates an illusion of a continuous existence? You are in constant motion after all and you couldn't tell the difference if every molecule and atom in your body was changed right now.

The only difference to teleportation would be that you'd never know you "died". How do you know that isn't already happening to you every second?

Imagine this: What if the teleporter didn't have to destroy you on one end to create you on the other? So... now there are two yous? Or is that a COPY of you?

Thats the difference between continued existence and the stop/start you describe. In one, no matter what, one is linked to his 'future' self and that self alone. In teleportation, just a small tweak will result in a separation between 'self' and the duplicate of 'self.'

However, both selves will initially perceive themselves as the one and only. The destination one will think that the process worked perfectly, the source one will think that it failed. Aside from some bureaucratic issues, i don't see a problem with this.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I would use the incredibly inefficient matter stream version (after extensive testing) but not the kind that disintegrates you in one place and clones you in another. That shit scares the hell out of me and if the thing doesn't work properly there are either 2 or zero of you.

 

[Raregolddragon]

Just fold the space around something you want to teleport much easer and no metaphysical junk to deal with.

 

[Macgyvercas]

The teleporter challenges the very notion of death really. By all conventional knowledge, teleporting a living being should be impossible to do, and is basically the same as being able to create new life (Something which is impossible as of today, at least on a multicellular creature).

So no, I would not, as the 'thing' coming out on the other side would not be me.

That reminds me of this:


OT: I would use it only if it had been around long enough to sort out the kinks, but I would not be one of the first people to test it.

 

[Jonny1188]

Not after that movie with Tim Allen where they teleported some animal and it came out as an inside-out bag of gore.

Spoiler: This scene at about the two minute mark

 

[Axeli]

The teleporter challenges the very notion of death really. By all conventional knowledge, teleporting a living being should be impossible to do, and is basically the same as being able to create new life (Something which is impossible as of today, at least on a multicellular creature).

So no, I would not, as the 'thing' coming out on the other side would not be me.

But are you really you ten seconds from now? Or do you just constantly inherit memories from someone who just stopped existing, which creates an illusion of a continuous existence? You are in constant motion after all and you couldn't tell the difference if every molecule and atom in your body was changed right now.

The only difference to teleportation would be that you'd never know you "died". How do you know that isn't already happening to you every second?

Imagine this: What if the teleporter didn't have to destroy you on one end to create you on the other? So... now there are two yous? Or is that a COPY of you?

Thats the difference between continued existence and the stop/start you describe. In one, no matter what, one is linked to his 'future' self and that self alone. In teleportation, just a small tweak will result in a separation between 'self' and the duplicate of 'self.'

But the duplicate would not perceive itself as a duplicate. In fact, do this duplication process while you are unconscious and dump both you and the duplicate in the same room and no one will ever be able to tell which one is the original after both have walked out from the room.

And even if you could be able to make the distinction, would it be anything but a superficial one? The duplicate would be completely identical. Both the original and the copy would have the exact same qualities that make you you and both would think they are you.

But the point I was making was that even if you did die during the teleportation process, the copy of you wouldn't ever perceive it like that. Likewise, the same could be happening to you all the time.
You just can't notice it from yourself because having the memories of your past self is the only proof you have of being the same person in the first place. If that is true, then the difference to teleportation-dying is only superficial.

 

[AdmiralMemo]

Wormholes are better, anyway.

 

[Hatchet90]

Look, if Willy fucking Wonka can do it, I think one day we'll be able to do it. And we'll be able to talk while we're split into said particles.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I won't bother with teleporting until after the gray goo comes.

 

[LtWiesel]

I would stay with a portal gun, at least you see where you´re going