>>127145288Oh, well, "traditionally" matter transmission works by scanning you and using the information to build a duplicate out of matter already present at the destination. That's how "quantum teleportation" works. The quantum state of particle A is duplicated in particle B. The process, because of the "no copying" theorem, necessarily destroys the state of A, though the particle itself remains.
In most SF stories, the scanning process annihilates the original. In stories where that doesn't happen, they destroy the original anyway. Otherwise, you have really gone anywhere, have you?
I used that as an example, though that's not how the Star Trek transporters work. There doesn't need to be a transmitter/receiver at the far end of the process. There doesn't even need to be a planet (or any matter) at the far end. Apparently, they actually transfer the energy (and a pattern) somewhere else.
This is stupid. In the Original Series, they got rid of an antimatter bomb by beaming it into space, re-materializing it at a safe distance, and letting it blow. If you can reduce objects to energy then you don't need anti-matter to run the engines. A dozen other aspects of the show become "illogical". And all because they wanted to save the money of building a shuttlecraft prop.
As a materialist, I believe an atom-for-atom copy would be "me". "I" am defined by continuity of experience. Is my experience dis-continuous if the transmission process takes time? Or if my pattern is stored on tape for a year before reconstruction? These are philosophical (or maybe legal) questions we're not prepared to answer.
The "which is the original?" problem remains if anyone ever builds a transporter or replicator. Fortunately, I also believe we are a loooooong way from having to deal with that issue. If it's possible at all.
