A dependency between what’s going on with consciousness and what’s valuable (work in progress)

Suppose we have a digitally implemented mind that looks like a circuit that’s on the $z=0$-plane with wires that are vertically thick, extending in thickness from $z=-\epsilon$ to $z=\epsilon$. In other words, the circuit should be like a kinda planar graph for this to make sense, but I don’t think this is actually crucial – it’s just easier to visualize this way. There is an analogous way to handle any 3-dimensional circuit. Further assume that the mind is having a good time. Further assume that this mind is the only one in the universe.

Now imagine splitting the circuit into two pieces by sliding a thin knife through the $z=0$ plane. Did the utility of the universe just double? (After all, one might say that there are now two minds having a good time.) We could imagine this happening while the electrical current remains the same in each piece of wire, though. It seems weird to think

If we think

I think understanding this better might lead to clarifying some crucial questions of practical importance. Whether creating a gazillion copies of the same human/computation multiplies the amount of utility in the universe by a gazillion

acknowledgments

I know I did not come up with this business with thick wires, but I also have no idea whom to attribute this to. maybe qualia research institute?