Identity
Probes the conditions under which a conscious subject persists over time or across copies, highlighting puzzles about duplication, splitting, and survival.
Challenging Arguments (8)
Staccato Consciousness Problem
Would computational consciousness just be a series of disconnected moments?
US Economy Argument
Under CF, any sufficiently complex system, like an economy, could be conscious, however abstract.
Problem of Many Minds
Sub-algorithms of a CF algorithm may constitute independent minds themselves.
Slicing Problem
A trivial physical operation on a 3D Turing machine could theoretically multiply the number of minds at no cost.
Individuation Problem
Identifying which algorithm a system is running is an arbitrary, observer-dependent choice.
Dual Experience Ambiguity
The same system could run slightly different computations, creating ambiguous or multiple experiences.
Lightcone Reification Problem
If the last step of an algorithm cannot know the full history of its inputs, those inputs cannot causally affect the current moment.
Free Will Argument
Deterministic computation seems incompatible with the experience of free will.