sleeping with your own clone = incest?

[kakihara]

Ill try to keep this clean; 

Ive been thinking; If you had a clone of yourself -an exact copy with the same memories and experience as yourself, exactly the same in every way- could you sleep with yourself? its kind of a tricky question. people have different ways of rationalizing this. Its you - its another person. its incest - but you often touch yourself.  does touching a clone of yourself make you gay? theres all kinds of moral issues here, people seem to get offended by this concept. I dont know what i would do, it is kind of uncomfortable to think about. I wonder; would i even like myself? what if the other me is cooler than me? could i kick my ass?

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

HAh, I spent my most of my non married life having sex with myself,.  Anyway, does a gender swich happe too?  I wouldn't find me attractive otherwise.
=Ed

[akiratubo]

More like masturbation.

[schmendrik]

Ill try to keep this clean; 

Ive been thinking; If you had a clone of yourself -an exact copy with the same memories and experience as yourself, exactly the same in every way- could you sleep with yourself? its kind of a tricky question. people have different ways of rationalizing this. Its you - its another person. its incest - but you often touch yourself.  does touching a clone of yourself make you gay? theres all kinds of moral issues here, people seem to get offended by this concept. I dont know what i would do, it is kind of uncomfortable to think about. I wonder; would i even like myself? what if the other me is cooler than me? could i kick my ass?

If you think of a clone of yourself as an identical twin, I guess that makes it incest.

A clone is someone who shares your genetic code, as identical twins do. That doesn't make them the same person.

Sci-fi author John Varley played with this question in some novel, but I can't remember which one. In his universe medical technology is very advanced and people are always tinkering with their own bodies, including switching sexes every few years. So the main character does end up sleeping with a clone of the opposite sex.

[Mofo Rising]

You should check out the short story "Reflections" by Andrew Murphy. It's an excellent little story about what would happen if cloning was widespread.

"Reflections"

[Mr. DS]

(looks at self in mirror)  I'd hit that.

[venomx]

"sleeping with your own clone = incest?" (I'm very confused)

[Trevor]

[Looks at self in mirror] "Bleurrrgggghhhhhh! I'd kill that!" 

[Newt]

If you think of a clone of yourself as an identical twin, I guess that makes it incest.

Technically correct.
My first reaction was the same as akiratubo though.

Sci-fi author John Varley played with this question in some novel, but I can't remember which one.

The Ophiuchi Hotline, I think.

If you had a clone of yourself -an exact copy with the same memories and experience as yourself, exactly the same in every way- could you sleep with yourself?

Cannot think of a reason why I would and a good few reasons why *not*.

I wonder; would i even like myself? what if the other me is cooler than me? could i kick my ass?

The perspective at least would be interesting, though I am not sure I could handle it, if it were disappointing.  Could always rationalise that it was 'not me' I suppose.  Could I kick my own butt?  Wouldn't like to try! 

[meQal]

I've been asking people for years if sleeping with your clone is gay or masturbation. Now someone has to toss incest into the picture which makes the question that much more difficult to ponder.

[Derf]

I think the more pertinent question would be: If I slept with my wife and her clone in a menage-a-trois, would it be cheating? 

[Doggett]

Why hasn't ghouck posted on this yet ?

[BTM]

Why hasn't ghouck posted on this yet ?

He's busy... uhmm... contemplating the issue.

Yeah, that's it.

[meQal]

OK, all joking aside, I have gave some serious thought into some of the questions asked. Well all but the why hasn't ghouck posted on this yet" question.
First of all, someone asked about if a gender switch occurred. This is not possible if the DNA is from a female but possible if the DNA is from a male. I know it sounds sexist but it has to do with basic chromosomes. Males have both a X and a Y chromosome while females have two X chromosomes. So there is no way they could create a male clone from a female DNA donor since there is no Y chromosome to trigger male characteristics.
Second is the question would a person want to sleep with their clone. This would actually have to do with a person's sexual orientation. If a person is sexually attracted to people of the clone's gender (which would most likely be their own excluding a way to switch gender) they would very likely to desire their clone as a partner. Otherwise they would consider they clone as their best friend.
The reason why is something called Genetic Sexual Attraction. Documented cases of this have been found in siblings who grew up appart and later met as adults. It is because their formative years between the age of birth to 6 were not spent together. Due to their sameness as adults they find themselves drawn to each other as soulmates.
Now that I may of weirded some of you out with that fact, lets move to the main question. Like the afore mentioned couples who later found out they are siblings, sex with your clone would be considered incest. Odds are laws would recognise a clone as a sibling to the person or a dependant similar to a child. In fact cloning could even be considered a form of asexual reproduction.
Also since your clone would most likely be the same gender as you, it would also be considered homosexuality because by definition, sex between two beings of the same gender is considered this.
If the clone has the same memories as the DNA donor, it would react in the same manner. It would have the same weaknesses and strength. However it would not have the same experiences as the DNA donor. This is because those can not be recreated in a short period of time if it were to be an adult one could consider sexual relations with. It would have memories of the experiences of the donor but it would not of lived those experiences first hand.
Your clone would not be cooler than you or be any more skilled in fighting than you. In fact you would like your clone even if you were not sexually attracted to it. In fact you would find your clone to be one of the best people you met because it would think and act the same way you do for a while.
That would change after creation because it would immediately begin having it's own memories and experiences as it began it's own life. As time progresses those experiences would shape it's life as the ones you have without your clone will shape yours. So from the moment it awakens it will stop actually being a copy of you and become a new life separate from your but with similar DNA.
finally, if you did clone your spouse and had sex with it, it would be considered cheating. However if you are having a menage-a-tois with your spouse's clone and your spouse, then I am sure they are not going to complain since they are an active part in that and are also cheating on you with their clone.

[ghouck]

(looks at self in mirror)  I'd hit that.

Violence is NOT the answer DS. . .