4 ms·
The article does mention that, but I don't think simply defining the base of the transplant as the section with the most mass accurately describes the situation
by jwn 10y ago
The article does mention that, but I don't think simply defining the base of the transplant as the section with the most mass accurately describes the situation. What part of the body defines a person's identity? Is it the head, or the rest of the body? I can see a case where the brain is considered the center of mass (from an operation standpoint).
- sevenless 10y agoGoing by center of mass means that for a sufficiently large tumor, you'd be talking about a patient-ectomy.
- jwn 10y agoI think that underscores the point about flexibility in naming operations ;)
- cthulhujr 10y agoCan it be defined as what is being replaced and discarded? When you have a heart transplant, they replace the heart with a new one and discard the old heart. In this case, they're discarding the body, so I see it as a body transplant. As others have noted, mass is meaningless in this context. Edit: The sources on wikipedia's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_transplant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_transplant article all call it a head transplant... so, I assume people more knowledgeable than I on the topic have already "talked it out". Head transplant it is!
- matt_morgan 10y agoI like that; and I like defining it as what part goes with the self. Your definition is probably cleaner but I think most of us feel like the "I" goes with the head no matter what else may change.
- danilocesar 10y agoThey also "discard" the dead head... So, I guess no.
- cthulhujr 10y agoThey also discard the body of the heart donor.
- justinlardinois 10y agoWhat's discarded from the donor doesn't really mean much. We don't consider what parts of organ donors' bodies aren't used.
- StavrosK 10y agoThat's exactly my view as well. You don't have a "body minus liver" transplant, you have a liver transplant (i.e. you get a new liver). Here, you get a new body, not a new head, therefore body transplant.
- leni536 10y ago> Can it be defined as what is being replaced and discarded? From the viewpoint of the patient? Which person is the donor and which is the patient?
- T0T0R0 10y agoWhich part stops talking to you, if it loses consciousness and slips into a coma? That's the part that sues you for malpractice.
- stcredzero 10y agoAt that point, isn't the question whose family sues you for malpractice?
- T0T0R0 10y agoOnly if it stays in the coma.
- anexprogrammer 10y agoDoesn't it come down to what can be exchanged and retain jwn? jwn's head on a different body may be taller and slimmer, but the personality remains. It should, in essence, still be "you". Vice versa and we get a completely different person but with about your height and build. So on that basis I think I prefer to think of body transplant to head transplant.
- panglott 10y ago...maybe. I think we underrate the physicality of our minds. For example, if you transplanted a male head on a female body or vice versa, some personality changes would be expected. Or a male head on a male body with different testosterone levels, for example.
- anexprogrammer 10y agoHm. Never considered a gender swap body, but it raises some interesting questions.
- dragonwriter 10y agoWhile I agree with you agree with your general argument from an abstract and pedantic point of view, OTOH, I think "head transplant" is a lot cleaner and more convenient to use than "all-of-the-body-except-the-head transplant", without any loss of clarity in practical communication. At some point, you have to accept that language is meant to be used, and that's more important than being abstractly consistent.