Artificial limbs, more and more advanced. Stuff like implants, nanites etc, being developed as we speak. It's quite interesting, being able to repair an injury faster, to perform as good or better than healthy humans even after terrible accidents etc., isn't it?
Yet it also raises a question, how much could we replace of us before we're no longer ourselves? I'm not talking as a race, or as culture, I'm talking about what makes you be you.
Some people think the heart of a person is where their soul is. On the other hand there was a person who had his heart removed and replaced by a machine. He didn't live long enough after to see how that truly affected him though.
What about the spine? It transmits all the info from the nerves to the brain, from the brain to the muscles, would we not be us if a machine did that? would we be different?
And last, but not least, our brain. Where all our decisions are made, where all our information is stored. Replacing any part with a machine or nanites might seem like suicide yet... people get brain tumors, they get accidents, they get parts of their brain removed due to this. While many can't adapt, some can by using other parts of their brain.
So how much of us could we replace before we're no longer us? In the end, could we replace every organical part if we transferred the info to a robotical one, like a hard drive? I don't think so, while the copy might still think it's the same person, the original would still be dead. Of course, if the original was not tied to any organical part but rather it was tied to energy or a soul, that could theoretically be transferred to a new body, could it not? But if said soul does not exist, how much of the organical you could be replaced before the true you ceases to exist? If parts of the brain would be replaced piece by piece, would you even realize it?
Now that is the question. What do you think?