Coming from an atheist, what if there is a metaphysical dimension, and the computing structure of a processor, brain, whatever, necessarily positions it in a unique space within that dimension, and this dimension is what holds consciousness? The idea doesn't really matter, what matters is that perhaps copying a brain actually does move its consciousness.
Easy to prove/disprove once you can actually copy a human being, as he should then report to be simultaneously aware of both bodies.
Other than that it's possible that by the same logic of you not being the same as your copy, you're not being the same after you sleep: the continuity of your consciousness is interrupted, and the new you in the morning thinks he is the old guy, having all the memories, but he actually isn't. Think about this: what if you were replaced with a clone while you sleep? No one would ever know and scientifically speaking both scenarios are equivalent because they lead to the same result. Maybe enjoy today a little bit longer, now knowing you're actually going to die in that bed, and as your "clone" will wake up in the morning completely oblivious of not actually continuing your consciousness, you don't even get a witness to your tragic death, as was the case with thousands of your predecessors.
Or maybe it's even worse, because the consciousness is interrupted tens or hundreds of times during the day. Or maybe those are thousands of separate, overlapping consciousness bubbles and really you should worry only about your identity, as the consciousness is just short-lived fireworks on top of the actual you.
I guess it would be nice to know what consciousness even is.
Numbers are metaphysical, as is music. They both can manifest physically (three cars and three cats, or a Bach concerto making sound waves that vibrate my eardrum). But what makes music musical is that it's a pattern of sounds over time. Patterns are not physical. Patterns map to the physical, but they are above the physical. You, too, are a pattern that plays out over time. You are mapped to your physical body, but you are the pattern that is embedded in the body. You are a pattern.
Easy to prove/disprove once you can actually copy a human being, as he should then report to be simultaneously aware of both bodies.
Other than that it's possible that by the same logic of you not being the same as your copy, you're not being the same after you sleep: the continuity of your consciousness is interrupted, and the new you in the morning thinks he is the old guy, having all the memories, but he actually isn't. Think about this: what if you were replaced with a clone while you sleep? No one would ever know and scientifically speaking both scenarios are equivalent because they lead to the same result. Maybe enjoy today a little bit longer, now knowing you're actually going to die in that bed, and as your "clone" will wake up in the morning completely oblivious of not actually continuing your consciousness, you don't even get a witness to your tragic death, as was the case with thousands of your predecessors.
Or maybe it's even worse, because the consciousness is interrupted tens or hundreds of times during the day. Or maybe those are thousands of separate, overlapping consciousness bubbles and really you should worry only about your identity, as the consciousness is just short-lived fireworks on top of the actual you.
I guess it would be nice to know what consciousness even is.