Because the concept of the conscious self being just a small part what constitutes one unit of homo sapiens has been part of philosophy for thousands of years.

Because the concept of the conscious self being just a small part what constitutes one unit of homo sapiens has been part of philosophy for thousands of years. As I see it, philosophy is there to ask the big questions, having a say in the prioritization of the direction of R&D. Elon Musk asked himself what was most needed to ensure a prosperous future for humanity, and his answers were PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, Neuralink and the Boring Company. They also happen to double at what a functioning Mars colony would need :)