Originally Posted by Autochron

Neither for me. I'd use the Mark III, though.

I find it interesting to note the number of people who'd use 1 and not 2. IIRC, over every month 80-90% of the atoms in our bodies are replaced anyway. (Not sure of the figures here, but that's about the size of it.)

Is it just me, or could a modified Mark III (the cloning machine) be used to shed some light on the phenomenological problem of consciousness?

Say I walk into the Mark III, a "clone" is created, and I emerge. I then go up to my clone, and ask it the following question: "Are you conscious?"

Now, there are three possibilities here:

1. It is genuinely conscious, and says "I am conscious."
2. It is not conscious, but does not "realize" that it is conscious, and so says "I am conscious" based on some sort of programmed response.
3. It is not conscious, realizes that it is not conscious, and says "I am not conscious."

Now, could one not assume that if I am able to detect my own consciousness, and my clone were _not_ conscious, could it not suddenly be able to detect the lack of consciousness in itself?

What do you people think?