Self-Replication and the Structure of the Self in a Future Society
🔹 1. Core Premise: One Self, Many Replications If future technology enables perfect self-replication, replicas are no longer extensions of the original but independent, newly formed selves That is: Original A Replicas B, C, D 👉 They share the same past 👉 But diverge into distinct beings through different experiences 🔹 2. Redefining the Self In such a society, the self is no longer defined as “a single continuous entity” but rather as a singular subject that selects experiences Structure: Self = the current center of experience Replicated selves = sources of experience 🔹 3. The Experience Selection System With advanced interconnection technologies, a self can access: sensory inputs memories emotions from other selves. The self can then select and adopt experiences, much like choosing items in a store. Key point: Selection is not mandatory Non-selection is also a valid choice 👉 The default state is always “maintaining one’s own experience” 🔹 4. Key Features of This Self-Structure ✔ Single Experiencing Self The experiencing subject remains one ✔ Multi-Experience Expansion External experiences can be selectively integrated ✔ Autonomy The self exists independently of external inputs ✔ Freedom Not to Expand Disconnection is always an option 🔹 5. A Shift in Ontology In this framework: The self is no longer defined by what it has experienced Instead: it is defined by what it chooses to experience Thus, the self becomes: not a fixed entity but a process of selection 🔹 6. Social and Philosophical Implications This model leads to profound changes: Fluid boundaries of individuality Coexistence of multiple selves with shared origins Possibility of sharing or exchanging experiences Layered, dynamic identities At the same time, new questions arise: What determines choice? (values, preferences, will) Who “owns” an experience? How do responsibility and ethics apply? 🔹 7. Final Summary Self-replication does not duplicate a self, but enables its branching and expansion. In the future, the self becomes a being that maintains a single center while connecting to multiple streams of experience. 🔹 One-line Conclusion The self is no longer a fixed entity, but an interface that selects and expands experience.
