Member-only story
Because we are self-aware and apparently self-contained in our heads, we tend to think of ourselves as separate individuals. We may recognize our interdependence with other individuals of our own and other species, but we generally think that we are individual beings. By projection, we may think of all life as collections of individuals.
But that notion quickly breaks down when we look at plants. Many plants can be broken apart to form new individuals. Sometimes plants merge together; are they one, or two? Plants, as well as animals, are collections of cooperating cells. Our bodies contain far more bacteria than human cells, and many of our cells can be extracted and grown in laboratory dishes. So, where do I end — when is something not part of me anymore? When it breaks off? Maybe the essential “I” is just my brain; my body, which supports my brain, could be lost and I would still be here, assuming my brain had access to some futuristic laboratory that could keep it alive in a jar or a robot.
Have you ever thought about the process of replacing bits of your body with mechanical devices until there is nothing left that is organic? After replacing all the major organs of my torso with artificial versions, I could slowly replace parts of my brain with more efficient computer components until there was no grey matter left. At what point would I die? Would…
