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Well, one reason I don't buy it is that it all seems premised on the notion that the human body is nothing more than a vehicle for the human mind, and that ones

Well, one reason I don't buy it is that it all seems premised on the notion that the human body is nothing more than a vehicle for the human mind, and that ones thoughts are the essence of oneself. The problem is that all current biomedical and neurological research points to the exact opposite: a human mind without a human body is not human.

sho 17y ago
"a human mind without a human body is not human" Care to elaborate? Because it sounds like you're saying that, for example, someone with both legs amputated is somehow less human than non-amputees. How much of the body would you have to lose to not be human any more? And what is the basis of this theory? I was under the impression that if you keep the brain, the spine, and some compatible means of sensory input, the rest is basically optional.
- jballanc 17y ago
  Care to elaborate? Because it sounds like you're saying that, for example, someone with both legs amputated is somehow less human than non-amputees. The unfortunately reality is that there is some truth to this. For a quick overview of the current research, I highly recommend the Radio Lab episode "Where Am I?" (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/05/05 http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/05/05). Essentially, the way it works is this: Basic "animalistic", if you will, portions of the brain react to various stimuli, and in turn cause a reaction in various parts of the body, bypassing all of the higher-order logic and emotion circuits. It is only when these higher-order logic and emotion circuits realize that the body has already reacted, that they begin to comprehend a situation. Another interesting aspect of the brain-body link is mirror neurons. These are neurons that run "backward", as it were, from your brain to your sensory organs, and send signals to them as opposed to receiving stimuli from them. It is thought that these neurons are vital for learning. For example, when you hear someone say something, your brain will send signals to your ear to learn how to imitate that sound.
JulianMorrison 17y ago
What makes you think an apparent body can't be simulated as easily as a mind?
- runinit 17y ago
  Or even a simulated "super" body. Human bodies are quite limited in the amount of information it can take in at once. I think you could potentially simulate a "body" with a million times more senses than a human. It's all a matter of sensory input.

sho 17y ago

"a human mind without a human body is not human" Care to elaborate? Because it sounds like you're saying that, for example, someone with both legs amputated is somehow less human than non-amputees. How much of the body would you have to lose to not be human any more? And what is the basis of this theory? I was under the impression that if you keep the brain, the spine, and some compatible means of sensory input, the rest is basically optional.

jballanc 17y ago
Care to elaborate? Because it sounds like you're saying that, for example, someone with both legs amputated is somehow less human than non-amputees. The unfortunately reality is that there is some truth to this. For a quick overview of the current research, I highly recommend the Radio Lab episode "Where Am I?" (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/05/05 http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2006/05/05). Essentially, the way it works is this: Basic "animalistic", if you will, portions of the brain react to various stimuli, and in turn cause a reaction in various parts of the body, bypassing all of the higher-order logic and emotion circuits. It is only when these higher-order logic and emotion circuits realize that the body has already reacted, that they begin to comprehend a situation. Another interesting aspect of the brain-body link is mirror neurons. These are neurons that run "backward", as it were, from your brain to your sensory organs, and send signals to them as opposed to receiving stimuli from them. It is thought that these neurons are vital for learning. For example, when you hear someone say something, your brain will send signals to your ear to learn how to imitate that sound.

JulianMorrison 17y ago

What makes you think an apparent body can't be simulated as easily as a mind?

runinit 17y ago
Or even a simulated "super" body. Human bodies are quite limited in the amount of information it can take in at once. I think you could potentially simulate a "body" with a million times more senses than a human. It's all a matter of sensory input.