What observation could demonstrate that this code indeed corresponded to the metaphysical important sense of continuity across time? What would the difference be between a world where it did or it didn’t?
Consider a simple cloning experiment. You are put to sleep, a clone of you is created, after awakening you are not sure whether you are the original or the clone. Now consider this modification: after the original and the clone awakens they are told their code. And then each of them participate in the next iteration of the same experiment, untill there are 2^n people each of whom has participated in n iterations of experiment.
Before the whole chain of the experiments starts you know your code and that there are 2^n possible paths that your subjective experience can go through this iterated cloning experiment. Only one of these path will be yours in the end. You go through all the chain of the experiments and turns out you have preserved your initial code. Now lets consider two hypothesises: 1) The code does not correspond to your continuity across time; 2) The code does correspond to your continuity across time. Under 1) you’ve experienced a rare event with probability 1/2^n. Under 2) it was the only possibility. Therefore you update in favor of 2).
What observation could demonstrate that this code indeed corresponded to the metaphysical important sense of continuity across time? What would the difference be between a world where it did or it didn’t?
Good question.
Consider a simple cloning experiment. You are put to sleep, a clone of you is created, after awakening you are not sure whether you are the original or the clone. Now consider this modification: after the original and the clone awakens they are told their code. And then each of them participate in the next iteration of the same experiment, untill there are 2^n people each of whom has participated in n iterations of experiment.
Before the whole chain of the experiments starts you know your code and that there are 2^n possible paths that your subjective experience can go through this iterated cloning experiment. Only one of these path will be yours in the end. You go through all the chain of the experiments and turns out you have preserved your initial code. Now lets consider two hypothesises: 1) The code does not correspond to your continuity across time; 2) The code does correspond to your continuity across time. Under 1) you’ve experienced a rare event with probability 1/2^n. Under 2) it was the only possibility. Therefore you update in favor of 2).
This is the most interesting answer I’ve ever gotten to this line of questioning. I will think it over!