# Star Trek: Transporters and Immortality

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 31, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382 "2010-05-31T13:53:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382/61 "2010-06-04T00:08:36Z")

</div>

> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> That’s one of my core beliefs. Different strokes, I guess.

I think you need an antecedent for _that_. Assuming you mean you believe that conscious is more (or other) than an emergent feature of biology, it still doesn’t necessarily follow that quantum duplication couldn’t move it around. If God exists and imbues sentient beings with consciousness in the form of souls, could she not also set things up so that the transporter moved the souls along the the bodies during the process.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382/62 "2010-06-04T00:33:10Z")

</div>

I am a hardline atheist, and have no interest in what reality would be like if we imagine an omnipotent entity who was interested in personally managing the laws of physics.

What do you mean by “more (or other) than an emergent feature of biology”? I believe consciousness is an emergent feature of biology, full stop. Nothing “more” or “other” about it, and the “more” or “other” concept didn’t appear at all in your first post on the subject.

I also don’t understand the use of “antecedent” in this context. Why would I need a prior cause for my belief? If I really do need one, I would appeal to Occam’s razor. Consciousness is an emergent property of the brain because any other explanation introduces unnecessary silliness. (Magic, supernatural, feelings reside in the heart, chakras, etc…)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382/63 "2010-06-04T10:43:00Z")

</div>

Funny, I always though **Skald** was an atheist. The more you know!

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-transporters-and-immortality/541382.md?page=3)