What makes our identity? Is it our body or is it our memories?
Let us assume that the technology has improved to a state where doctors can transplant brain from one person to another. There are two friends - Hari and Shyam whose brains are intechanged by doctors. If we now ask Hari, who is he, what will be his response? Will his response be Hari or Shyam? This is very tricky. Does the body constitutes the individual or is it the brain? Will Hari, whose new brain carry the memory impressions of Shyam, respond that he is Shyam? Or the eyes of Hari scan the body and recognize it as Hari's body and respond that he is Hari, Or there is an identity beyond body and mind that makes the individuality of a person?
Let us explore the body and mind a bit more.
As a baby we have a particular body structure. The baby's skin is soft. It has limited memory. As every day passes, the baby sheds its skin and new skin takes its place, old hair falls out and is replaced by new, its cell multiply, new memories replaces old ones, the nails grow every day. These changes happen on a daily basis in the life of every individual. Yet we claim that we are the same person. Our ego gets bruised when somebody insults us. But which of the ME are we so proud of? What is the constancy that we continue to claim as the I or ME? Is there an identity that is behind the ever changing body and mind of ours?
These pondering is as scientific as it is philosophical. When the world finds answers to these queries one day, we would see the culmination of philosophy, science and religion.
More such musings in my future blogs. Till such time.....
Let us assume that the technology has improved to a state where doctors can transplant brain from one person to another. There are two friends - Hari and Shyam whose brains are intechanged by doctors. If we now ask Hari, who is he, what will be his response? Will his response be Hari or Shyam? This is very tricky. Does the body constitutes the individual or is it the brain? Will Hari, whose new brain carry the memory impressions of Shyam, respond that he is Shyam? Or the eyes of Hari scan the body and recognize it as Hari's body and respond that he is Hari, Or there is an identity beyond body and mind that makes the individuality of a person?
Let us explore the body and mind a bit more.
As a baby we have a particular body structure. The baby's skin is soft. It has limited memory. As every day passes, the baby sheds its skin and new skin takes its place, old hair falls out and is replaced by new, its cell multiply, new memories replaces old ones, the nails grow every day. These changes happen on a daily basis in the life of every individual. Yet we claim that we are the same person. Our ego gets bruised when somebody insults us. But which of the ME are we so proud of? What is the constancy that we continue to claim as the I or ME? Is there an identity that is behind the ever changing body and mind of ours?
These pondering is as scientific as it is philosophical. When the world finds answers to these queries one day, we would see the culmination of philosophy, science and religion.
More such musings in my future blogs. Till such time.....
