More feasible yes, but not nearly as interesting a technology. What will cloning do? If we clone to make new organs then it is a helpful medical technique, one among many. If we are talking about reproductive cloning, then that individual has no closer identity to me than an identical twin (indeed a bit less since the clone won’t share the same environment growing up). The other major advantage of cloning is that we could potentially use it to deliberately clone copies of smart people. But that’s a pretty minor use, and fraught with its own ethical problems. And that would still take a long time to be useful. Let’s say we get practical cloning tomorrow. Even if some smart person agreed to be cloned, we’d still need to wait around 12 years at very minimum before they can be that useful.
Cryonics is a much larger game changer than cloning.
I think by raising my own clone, I could produce a “more perfect” version of myself. He would have the same values, but an improved skill set and better life experiences.
I think by raising my own clone, I could produce a “more perfect” version of myself. He would have the same values, but an improved skill set and better life experiences.
Do you have any convincing reasons to believe that? How do you account for environmental differences?
Anyone else here more interested in cloning than cryonics?
Seems 100x more feasible.
More feasible yes, but not nearly as interesting a technology. What will cloning do? If we clone to make new organs then it is a helpful medical technique, one among many. If we are talking about reproductive cloning, then that individual has no closer identity to me than an identical twin (indeed a bit less since the clone won’t share the same environment growing up). The other major advantage of cloning is that we could potentially use it to deliberately clone copies of smart people. But that’s a pretty minor use, and fraught with its own ethical problems. And that would still take a long time to be useful. Let’s say we get practical cloning tomorrow. Even if some smart person agreed to be cloned, we’d still need to wait around 12 years at very minimum before they can be that useful.
Cryonics is a much larger game changer than cloning.
Re: “Anyone else here more interested in cloning than cryonics?”
Sure. Sexual reproduction is good too.
Interested in what way? Do you see it as a plausible substitute good from the perspective of your values?
Yes. If cloning were an option today, and I were forced to choose cloning vs. cryonics, I would choose the former.
What benefit do you see in having a clone of you?
I think by raising my own clone, I could produce a “more perfect” version of myself. He would have the same values, but an improved skill set and better life experiences.
You know what, I am quite content with a 50% faithful clone of myself. It is even possible that there is some useful stuff in that other 50%.
Do you have any convincing reasons to believe that? How do you account for environmental differences?
What exactly would “choosing cloning” consist of?
Interested in what way? Do you highly value the existence of organisms with your genome?