How To Build A Person Essay, Research Paper
Philosophy
Mon-Thursday
How to build a person.
I read how to build a person by Justin Lieber. Justin Lieber is a professor at the University of Houston, whom also writes science fiction. This selection, which was taken from his novel Beyond Rejection, is fictional and is based in the future. The story is set in the year 2112 in a Houston hospital. In this hospital they are brains on one person into the body of another. The story starts with the hospital giving a class on how they are attempting to transplant a mind into a human body. The test subjects name was Sally Cudmus, and she has been frozen in ice for two years.
In this story they discuss the difficulties of implanting a brain into a body. They talk of the problems that would occur if a mind was implanted into a body that was not it?s own. They say this is possible due to the fact that the brain can adapt to major changes around it with in days. The example they give to show this is possible is one with reverse goggles. If a person puts on goggles that would make everything appear upside down the person would be disoriented. After a few day the subjects brain would adapt to these changes making what the goggles made upside down rights side up. If the goggles were then taken off everything again would seem upside down, until the brain once again adapted to this change.
In this story it is said that a mind is like a tape, and the only thing this tape needs is a body similar to its original to function. I do not agree with this because a brain is not like any other organ that can be transplanted. A person?s brain is dynamic in that it functions with a particular person, and is one of a kind. No matter how similar the body types may be, a humans brain and thoughts can not be transferred to another body. In my opinion a person?s brain would not adapted to such a drastic change as a body switch.
In the end the subject wakes up remembering who he once was. After touching his new body he realizes he is no longer in his original figure. The subject does not like this because his new body was much different then his own. He no longer had a penis and his muscular for he once had was gone. Also a tale like extension had grown from his spinal cord to his feet. The subject realizes that he will no longer be who he once was, and is understandably discontent.