How much could we replace of us before we're no longer ourselves?

[Stacyrect]

Id go so far to say everything except your frontal cortex

[Spiral Mage]

The brain. Scientists are claiming to be on the verge of proving that the soul is real and that it is held inside of a part of the brain. You can google it easily enough. Their explanation of it is actually incredible, it explains alot of the supernatural things humans claim to be able to do and even positively confirms life after death. We're basically quantum beings, in a sense. If the "soul" is proven, maybe it can be transfered by science too, then there'd be nothing in your physical body that would affect your soul.

Creepy though, a machine that could rip out your soul? That can't end well. n't But supposedly, if the experiments go well and prove it, then they will begin exploring things like ghosts, rebirth, astral projection, etc. Because it won't be "supernatural mumbojumbo" anymore, it will have a scientific basis to work from.

[Deleted]

The brain. Scientists are claiming to be on the verge of proving that the soul is real and that it is held inside of a part of the brain. You can google it easily enough. Their explanation of it is actually incredible, it explains alot of the paranormal things humans claim to be able to do and even positively confirms life after death. We're basically quantum beings, in a sense. If the "soul" is proven, maybe it can be transfered by science too, then there'd be nothing in your physical body that would affect your soul.

Creepy though, a machine that could rip out your soul? That can't end well.

There was an experiment done by a 1900s scientist, MacDougall, whereby people were weighed immediately before and after the moment of their death. 4 of the 6 were found to lose weight, with no reasonable explanation apparent. You can find all sorts of discussion on the subject if you Google "21g Soul MacDougall".

The idea of infinite nothingness after death is something I've never been able to accept, nor do I believe in a heaven and hell. Still, I am sceptical, not least because the aforementioned experiment was conducted so long ago and on such a small sample size.

[GennGreymane]

The brain. Scientists are claiming to be on the verge of proving that the soul is real and that it is held inside of a part of the brain. You can google it easily enough. Their explanation of it is actually incredible, it explains alot of the supernatural things humans claim to be able to do and even positively confirms life after death. We're basically quantum beings, in a sense. If the "soul" is proven, maybe it can be transfered by science too, then there'd be nothing in your physical body that would affect your soul.

Creepy though, a machine that could rip out your soul? That can't end well. n't But supposedly, if the experiments go well and prove it, then they will begin exploring things like ghosts, rebirth, astral projection, etc. Because it won't be "supernatural mumbojumbo" anymore, it will have a scientific basis to work from.

and yet no links?

[lolcats121]

Everything but the brain

i agree with this.

[Deleted]

You will always remain yourself as long as you keep your brain, i'd say.

By replacing your neural network with the exact copy one neuron after another, you wouldn't know the difference. But replacing your body organs with anything but exact copy would change your personality. Your chemical balance would change and alter your brain functions. You are not only your brain.

[Etoo]

When changing pieces of your house or car, when does it become a new house/car?

[Ielenia]

The brain. Scientists are claiming to be on the verge of proving that the soul is real and that it is held inside of a part of the brain. You can google it easily enough. Their explanation of it is actually incredible, it explains alot of the supernatural things humans claim to be able to do and even positively confirms life after death. We're basically quantum beings, in a sense. If the "soul" is proven, maybe it can be transfered by science too, then there'd be nothing in your physical body that would affect your soul.

Creepy though, a machine that could rip out your soul? That can't end well. n't But supposedly, if the experiments go well and prove it, then they will begin exploring things like ghosts, rebirth, astral projection, etc. Because it won't be "supernatural mumbojumbo" anymore, it will have a scientific basis to work from.

You claim it's 'easy to find links', yet you fail to provide any of your own? Listen, friend, it's your job to procure the evidence for your claims, not ours. I'm not going to sit here and sift through pages upon pages of pseudo-science in the hopes I find this website you're talking about. If you claim evidence exist, either show it, or retract your statements.

[Etoo]

The brain. Scientists are claiming to be on the verge of proving that the soul is real and that it is held inside of a part of the brain. You can google it easily enough. Their explanation of it is actually incredible, it explains alot of the supernatural things humans claim to be able to do and even positively confirms life after death. We're basically quantum beings, in a sense. If the "soul" is proven, maybe it can be transfered by science too, then there'd be nothing in your physical body that would affect your soul.

Creepy though, a machine that could rip out your soul? That can't end well. n't But supposedly, if the experiments go well and prove it, then they will begin exploring things like ghosts, rebirth, astral projection, etc. Because it won't be "supernatural mumbojumbo" anymore, it will have a scientific basis to work from.

That "study" has been debunked more times that even Google can count.

[Calaba]

"I think, therefore I am." - Descartes.
So yeh, the answer is "the brain".

Subject to reality itself being "real", of course. There's no way of proving we're not all just programs in The Matrix or something.

[Deleted]

There was an experiment done by a 1900s scientist, MacDougall, whereby people were weighed immediately before and after the moment of their death. 4 of the 6 were found to lose weight, with no reasonable explanation apparent. You can find all sorts of discussion on the subject if you Google "21g Soul MacDougall".

The idea of infinite nothingness after death is something I've never been able to accept, nor do I believe in a heaven and hell. Still, I am sceptical, not least because the aforementioned experiment was conducted so long ago and on such a small sample size.

this is so stupid but would be fun if the soul would be real and it would weighed as much as helium that way you would weighed more when you die

[Xilurm]

Self is an illusion.

What you call yourself is memories. As long as you can get a media that can hold your memories and house the conciousness, you will remain you.

Isn't that just a copy though? A copy of yourself. Right now, you know you're you, but others don't know that. If you transfer your consciousness to something else, you would be gone, everyone else will think it's you because the copy is exactly the same. Tranfering would just kill you.

[Deleted]

time kills you anyways if you get hit by a car in 10 sec what the f do you care at the moment

[PosPosPos]

Self is an illusion.

What you call yourself is memories. As long as you can get a media that can hold your memories and house the conciousness, you will remain you.

Not true, unless you find a media that is wired exactly like your existing brain - which is why different people can parse the exact same piece of information differently, because their brain is wired and developed differently.

[PosPosPos]

You are information. Which you place a lot of value on. But that is an illusion... scientifically speaking we understand this. There is no "you" in the brain. You cannot find your ego in a certain part of your brain.

This is completely besides the point. It is obvious that ego is more of a concept rather than a tangible object or function of the brain.

The way your brain is wired determines how you will parse a given snippet of information. For example, if you have been burnt by fire before, you are more likely than someone who hasn't to avoid playing with fire even if both parties are given the exact same information that playing with fire can cause burns - because your brain will have been wired to have aversion to fire on a subconscious level, and the other party simply doesn't.

When you just transfer the memory of the event from one media to another, you don't inherit aversions because they are more akin to reflexes by nature.

If 2 people with the exact same memory can react completely differently to the exact same situation, then they are completely different people. Or if a person loses/gains the ability to feel certain emotions, and it causes them to make different decisions to the exact same situation, then they are also different people.

[Powerogue]

Everything but the brain

Well obviously. Makes me wonder if we could qualify as ourselves too if we uploaded the whole brain into a computer. Sci-fi as it may seem, at the rate we're going it's looking more and more likely.

Honestly they can purge all my hours spent on cat videos and other junk though. Just send that to the recycle bin.

[Xilurm]

You think your ego is you. The self is the ego. What is "you" is your consciousness. The "now". What you believe "you" is, are your memories, or your projections into the future, using your memories.

There are a few books on this:

The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465020690/

The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199988781

The only thing you need to save "you", are your memories, and media that reproduces consciousness.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, same thing. You die in the end. Someone else has the exact memories as you. Which is why I think there will be alot of problems when things like this might become possible.

[Xilurm]

What do you think "you" is? If you have a computer recreate the exact connectome of your brain in an organic brain that was blank before, are you recreated?

Are you your cells? What if with the connectome, it clones your DNA? Then is that you?

First you have to have a definition of "you".

Imagine you get cloned then. Is that clone you? If you are still alive after the copying is done, you won't be looking through 2 bodies. You will still be looking through your own, you will even see your copy standing there being exactly like you. That's what I'm saying. There will be two "you" in the same room, and if one dies it just stops existing.

Unless you take your consciousness and put it in the other brain without jus copying it, then yeah, that you will be you.