There are two scenarios in this question. In each round, you will be presented with a scenario and then offered two choices. The decisions you make determine whether you stay alive or perish. You should always base your decisions on nothing more than the desire to keep yourself in existence.

Also, each scenario should be taken at face value. The situation will be as described - there are no "tricks" - and you do not need to worry about other 'what ifs'.

Round 1 - The Teletransporter Choice

You have been chosen to go on a very important mission to Mars. You have no choice in this matter, you must go. But you can choose your means of transport.

One method is teletransportation. You will step into a scanner here on earth that will destroy your brain and body, while recording the exact state of all your cells. This information will be transmitted to a replicator on Mars - taking three minutes to arrive - which will then create a brain and body exactly like yours using entirely new materials. The person on Mars will look like you, think like you, in fact be indistinguishable from you. He or she will certainly feel as though they have merely fallen asleep on Earth and then woken up on Mars. This method is 100 percent reliable.

The other method of transport is space travel. This is very risky and there is a 50 percent chance that the spacecraft will not complete the journey and you will die in transit. But if you do successfully take the spacecraft, then your body and brain won't at any stage have been destroyed.

You must choose the option you think will give yourself the biggest chance of surviving. Also give your arguments in favor of your answer.

(A) It's the teletransporter for me

(B) I'll take a chance with the spacecraft

Round 2 - Silicon or Virus?

Life on Mars turns out not to be a bed of roses. In fact, two strange viruses have evolved on the planet which are causing a lot of problems. The first destroys body parts. Fortunately, medical science is very advanced, which means people can simply be given artificial limbs and organs as required. You've been hit pretty hard by this virus and, in fact, almost your entire body is now made up of artificial parts.

However, there exists a second virus that attacks the brain. It is peculiarly nasty in that it doesn't destroy the brain, rather it messes up the neural pathways, leading to a loss of memory and also a change in personality traits. One person who had the virus had been a successful author. Now he can't write a word, but he's become rather good at exotic dancing. It is indeed an odd virus.

Unfortunately, you have carelessly managed to catch the virus. Medics can get around the virus by replacing pieces of the brain with advanced forms of silicon chip. In your case, they would have to do this to almost all of your brain. But trials show that you can be sure that the result will be the total preservation of your memories, personality, plans, beliefs and so on, and a person as able to carry on living a normal life as is, well, normal.

The alternative is to succumb to the virus with its consequent loss of memory and change in character.

You must make the choice which you think will give you the biggest chance of surviving. Also give your arguments in favor of your answer

(A)I'll take the silicon, thanks

(B)Let the virus do its worst

Source:https://www.philosophyexperiments.com/stayingalive/Default.aspx

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

A Its the teletransporter for me The explanation I picked a teletransporter is on the grounds that I ... View the full answer