Some extra context for the curious: https://pdf.stafforini.com/parfit-1995-unimportance-identity.pdf
this post was submitted on 27 May 2026
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The same goes for people who think they'll be able to upload themselves to a computer. The so-called "singularity". One's consciousness could be lost in the transfer, and no one could tell. You become unconscious and never wake up, you die. The other thing--whatever it is--takes your place in the world, and everyone else treats it as you, but you died. Behind the eyes of that thing, no one is home.
The same goes for people who go to sleep or lose consciousness. Who says the memories you have are yours and you're the same self as before?
Uploading is making a copy in digital format and be forever changed. Unless the original is actually destroyed in the process then the original would also be changed. Consciousness would not be lost but changed. The real question would be, is the digital copy real or simulated and does that matter?
Teleportation is different because it's disassembling and reassembling. We have no idea how consciousness works at our current level of technology. So, is consciousness something that can be transferred physically or is it metaphysical or is it a little of both? What happens to the original?