Clones

[abu nuwas]

Propagating any plant from a cutting is clone of the original. The questioning of the soul may be relevant to human cloning. Although some scientists would argue against the existence of souls. I am not sure if cloning oneself would impart immortality. It is mostly memory and experience that makes us what we are. Even if the clone could latch on to the same soul, it would not have the shared experience of our previous life.

Leaving aside what is now feasible......
The manufacture of a human 'clone' from basic elements -- a heap of atoms lying around -- would present some interesting questions. Let us suppose it were possible, and one was knocked up of me, 30 mins ago. It of course must have everything exactly as I was then, including the bits of brain which contain memory. But can it be aware of its own existence? If it is, at what point did the awareness creep in, and why? Did all the original bits and bobs have some tiny piece of self-awareness in them? If it is not, but is just like a very sophisticated robot (ultra sophisticated in my case), then my self-aware body would be having something non-dependent on my physical make-up, and, one might suppose, when the physical body faded away, that same something would have no reason to.

If everything has a little awareness, then so do carrots. It's known as Carrot Theory....