The problem is that there is a copy of you inside each “blob”. So if there is no objective moment of splitting, then during the period of fission, there is no objective answer to the question, is there one copy of you in existence, or are there two copies of you in existence? That is absurd because any instance of your consciousness is “inside” exactly one copy, and there is an instance of consciousness inside each copy that exists, and so saying that the number of copies is not an objective fact implies that whether or not a particular conscious being exists is not an objective fact, which implies that whether or not you exist is a question without an objective answer, which is absurd.
So if there is no objective moment of splitting, then during the period of fission, there is no objective answer to the question, is there one copy of you in existence, or are there two copies of you in existence?
What’s wrong with saying that there are (e.g.) 1½ half copies of me in existence? That’s an objective answer.
which implies that whether or not you exist is a question without an objective answer, which is absurd.
Suppose that somebody is hooked up to a life-support device so that they can continue to live even if the (e.g.) breath-regulating areas in their brain cease to function. Now start selectively deleting their brain cells one by one, until there are none left. At which point do they cease to exist?
As far as I know, there isn’t any such a point: their consciousness will just gradually fade away, and there isn’t an objective answer to when exactly that will happen.
The problem is that there is a copy of you inside each “blob”. So if there is no objective moment of splitting, then during the period of fission, there is no objective answer to the question, is there one copy of you in existence, or are there two copies of you in existence? That is absurd because any instance of your consciousness is “inside” exactly one copy, and there is an instance of consciousness inside each copy that exists, and so saying that the number of copies is not an objective fact implies that whether or not a particular conscious being exists is not an objective fact, which implies that whether or not you exist is a question without an objective answer, which is absurd.
What’s wrong with saying that there are (e.g.) 1½ half copies of me in existence? That’s an objective answer.
Suppose that somebody is hooked up to a life-support device so that they can continue to live even if the (e.g.) breath-regulating areas in their brain cease to function. Now start selectively deleting their brain cells one by one, until there are none left. At which point do they cease to exist?
As far as I know, there isn’t any such a point: their consciousness will just gradually fade away, and there isn’t an objective answer to when exactly that will happen.