# Teleportation physics question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603 "2015-12-16T13:17:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Vacanor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/cab0a1/32.png) [@Vacanor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vacanor)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603/241 "2016-03-10T21:03:44Z")
Your perception of you is that, just a perception. We give things a meaning and identity but it’s all in our minds, so the external world has nothing to do with the answer from a newtral point of view. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603/242 "2016-03-11T23:36:45Z")
Curiously I was about to post the same video, mostly because of the reply from the poster **DigitallyCrazy** in the comments underneath (from this page [The Problem With Teleportation](http://gizmodo.com/the-problem-with-teleportation-1763308873) ). > [@](#): > > (somewhat abridged) > Physicist here. If it’s a quantum teleporter, then it doesn’t matter. If it’s not a quantum teleporter, then it depends whether or not we are quantum beings. Here’s the reason. The “no-cloning” theorem of quantum mechanics means you cannot copy the state of a system to another system. You can, however, move the state of a system onto another system. \*\*_-snip-_ \*\*The new state is indistinguishable from the old state. So the new you would be indistinguishable from the old you and the difference ceases to be a problem. The old you cannot exist, and the new you is the same as the old. > > If it’s not a quantum teleporter, and we are quantum beings, then the new thing is not you full stop. \*\*_-snip-_ \*\*The new thing is not you. Basically, the copy is a poor one. > > If it’s not a quantum teleporter and we’re not quantum beings, then it gets weird. The new you is exactly the same as the old you. So it is you. But the old you could still exist. Then there would be two of you. And disassembling the old you really would be killing the old you. So it’s weird. But ethically speaking, the answer is “So?” _ **-snip-** _ I haven’t had anybody that can express concretely what their issue is with this scenario. A very succinct statement of the possibilities, I think; and my (even more abridged) version follows; 1/ yes 2/ no 3/ the question is academic. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603/243 "2016-03-12T00:53:02Z")
Yeah, that physicist starts out okay, but then finished up poorly. I don’t understand why people have trouble with it, honestly. It matters to the person who is transported. If I am transported via non-quantum copy, and then the original destroyed, here is what I will experience: I go into the machine. I come back out. Then I am destroyed. Seeing as I don’t want to die, I thus will not want to be transported. And, while I doubt it will help, I will give the short answer to **Trinopus** ’s misunderstanding: the moment the copying process begins, the copy has different experiences than the original. So they are inherently no longer identical. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603/244 "2016-03-12T01:41:48Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > . . . And, while I doubt it will help, I will give the short answer to **Trinopus** ’s misunderstanding: the moment the copying process begins, the copy has different experiences than the original. So they are inherently no longer identical. Well, thank you: saves me some time. (You didn’t exactly quote me correctly, but you’ve got the jist of it. Once one person walks out of the chamber and the other is being destroyed, they aren’t the same any longer.) But why do you think this is a misunderstanding? It’s key to answering certain kinds of scenarios (such as the magic act where the duplicate is left to drown.) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603/245 "2016-03-12T10:04:21Z")
Meh; this though experiment always ends up with someone being destroyed. For maximum utility you’d keep both copies. Except that a universe full of copied personalities would be less diverse than one where everyone is different. If classical) (non-quantum) teleportation is ever developed, it should be used sparingly, in case we end up with a society of like-minded individuals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teleportation-physics-question/740603.md?page=12)