I think one should consider the conundrum, brought to my attention by Douglas Hofstadter in THE MIND’S I, of reduplicated consciousness.
He cited the Star Trek transporter scenario, which we all seemed to accept as making sense, as presented. He noted that the mode of operation was essentially reduplication, since your entire body was decorporialized, or whatever, and then recorporialized elsewhere.
This process suggested to him that a malfunction might occur, wherein the transport process would seem to succeed, but the original body might remain intact. In this case, he suggests, that the ship’s computer might announce to the straggler, “This isn’t you, you have been transported. Stand by for discorporation.” I think this is enough to present the Star Trek transporter process as a paradox.
But considering that, what of our own sense of continuity? I can attest that as a youth of 10 or so, I wondered about my future self, and have in fact lived past the point of anything I ever contemplated. So what am I?
What a great book! Godel, Escher and Bach was the eye-opener for me.
Do you remember metamagical themes, back when Scientific American was a credible publication?
You're what is aware of your body and mind. Your body and mind only generate sensations, stimuli, whether physically, mentally or emotionally. You're what's aware of them.