Do you really think we start out valuing physical continuity? I thought the opposite: the writers of the original Star Trek seemed to think nothing of including teleportation, nor does it cause alarm in D&D/Planescape or Harry Potter. I figured people might perhaps have a terminal value for causal continuity or connection, but the objection you point to stemmed from a false understanding of physics that made "physical continuity" important. (Compare someone with a little knowledge who decides to value 'unique' sets of human DNA, then later decides there aren't any.)

But my confidence decreased upon reflection. The Hebrew Bible with its lack of any clear 'soul' doctrine also lacks HP-style transformations of people (unless you count the implied snake with legs, or surgery producing Eve from a rib).