An idea frequently discussed in this kind of context is the teleportation machine of science fiction. It is intended as a means of 'transportation' from, say, one planet to another, but whether it actually would be such, is what the discussion is all about. Instead of being physically transported by a spaceship the 'normal' way, the would-be traveler is scanned from head to toe, the accurate location and complete specification of every atom and every electron in his body being recorded in full detail. All this information is then beamed (at the speed of light), by an electromagnetic signal, to the distant planet of intended destination. There, the information is collected and used as the instructions to assemble a precise duplicate of the traveler, together with all his memories, his intentions, his hopes, and his deepest feelings. At least that is what is expected; for every detail of the state of his brain has been faithfully recorded, transmitted, and reconstructed. Assuming that the mechanism has worked, the original copy of the traveler can be ‘safely’ destroyed. Of course the question is: is this really a method of traveling from one place to another or is it merely the construction of a duplicate, together with the murder of the original? Would you be prepared to use this method of ‘travel’ – assuming that the method had been shown to be completely reliable, within its terms of reference? If teleportation is not traveling, then what is the difference in principal between it and just walking from one room into another? In the latter case, are not one’s atoms of one moment simply providing the information for the locations of the atoms of the next moment? We have seen, after all, that there is no significance in preserving the identity of any particular atom. The question of the identity of any particular atom is not even meaningful. Does not any moving pattern of atoms simply constitute a wave of information propagating from one place to another? Where is the essential difference between the propagation of waves which describes our traveler ambling in a commonplace way from one room to the other and that which takes place in the teleportation device?
Suppose it is true that teleportation does actually ‘work’, in the sense that the traveler’s own ‘awareness’ is actually reawakened in the copy of himself on the distant planet (assuming that this question has genuine meaning). What would happen if the original copy of the traveler were not destroyed, as the rules of this game demand? Would his ‘awareness’ be in two places at once? (Try to imagine your response to being told the following: ‘Oh dear, so the drug we gave you before placing you in the Teleporter has worn off prematurely has it? That is a little unfortunate, but no matter. Anyway, you will be pleased to hear that the other you – er, I mean the actual you, that is – has now arrived safely on Venus, so we can, er, dispose of you here – er, I mean of the redundant copy here. It will of course, be quite painless’) The situation has an air of paradox about it. Is there anything in the laws of physics which could render teleportation in principal impossible?
