Yourself Amplified

There is a scene from A.I(2001) in which child-robot David, comes face to face with another David. He is surprised, astonished that this robot looks just like him. He even talks like me! Here’s the script for the scene.

I'm David! I'm unique!

DAVID: Professor Hobby? Professor Hobby? Hello? Hello?
Is this the place they make you real?
DAVID II: This is the place they make you read.
DAVID: Are you real?
DAVID II: I guess.
DAVID: Are you me?
DAVID II: I'm David.
DAVID: You’re not.
DAVID II: Yes, I am! I’m David!
DAVID: So am I.
DAVID II: Hello, David. Can you read? Can you sit down, and we can read together? Let’s be friends.
DAVID: You can’t have her.
DAVID II: I can’t hear you.
DAVID: She's mine. And I'm the ONLY one. I'm David! I'm David! I'm David! I'm David! I'm...(pause), I'm David! I'm David! I'm David! I'm special! I'm unique! I'm David! You can't have her! I'm David...I'm David...I'm David...
HOBBY: David? David!
DAVID: I'm David...I'm David...

Our poor David is afraid that he isn't unique. He wants to be. He craves it. He is the real thing. That other David, he’s an imposter. He’s fake! I am the one and only! Why can’t you see that!?

After having seen the movie several times, this scene always put me in David’s shoes. How would I feel if I were to wake up one day and find that there is another entity out there that looks like me, talks like me, and perhaps is me, to a certain degree? How would I react? How would I feel? What would I do? What should one do? Should I declare my uniqueness singular and wage war on all other versions of me? Or should I find it amusing, extend a hand, cooperate, and learn and go beyond what is currently me? 

Let’s imagine a scenario where we have the capabilities to make an exact copy of you, for whatever reasons there may be. 

If you were an individual who was against the idea of multiple copies of oneself, most likely that copy of you will harbor those thoughts, too. The copy will find you, the original an intruder, an imposter, a fake! Destruction will ensue, and in a system with multiple versions of the original who are against forking will be volatile and unstable.

But if you were an individual who embraced the idea of multiple copies, most likely the copies will do, too. Cooperation will be possible. Harmony will be amplified.

So perhaps it would be best to find the forking of one’s consciousness amusing, delightful. Go on. There’s a world out there to explore and learn about! Cooperate with yourself. It should be a wonderful experience.