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gavinray • today at 3:28 PM • 0 replies • view on HN

If you take this question far enough, you eventually reach a core philosophical debate:

"Does it matter what anything innately is, beyond the effects it has on you?"

For example: Suppose you were given a human companion with a robot brain that was your ideal friend. They made you laugh and you enjoyed every moment you spent with them.

Does it make it any less impactful/genuine to you that they're not a "real" human, or is your felt experience the only meaningful end-measure?

For me, it's the latter.