Can a Living Creature Be as Big as a Galaxy?

Post by anon335dtzbvc » Sun, Aug 06, 2017, 8:15 AM UTC

nr152522 wrote: post #160

Consultant32452 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are more bacterial cells in your body than there are human cells. Where exactly do you draw the line between what constitutes "you."

I guess you are just an ever changing object, referenced by a name, created by your parents and affected by your environment. Human myName = new Human(mother, father, environment, spacetime); Location birthPlace = myName.mother.getCurrentLocation; location bithTime = myName.myMother.getCurrentBirthTime; myName.removeAllLimbs(); myName.upgradeAllLimbs(); CloneUtils.cloneHuman(myName, 'myClone') AssertEquals(myName, my…

Post by aato » Sun, Aug 06, 2017, 8:31 AM UTC

Sacho wrote: post #159

chii wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So if an alien abducted you, created a clone to replace you while you are experimented upon, you'd still agree that you are living normally, and nothing happened to "you"?

Conversely, people usually go through profound behavioral transformations several times in their lives. Does that mean they are not "themselves" anymore?

Post by dredmorbius » Sun, Aug 06, 2017, 9:09 AM UTC

oblib wrote: post #60

11thEarlOfMar wrote: post #52

It's a different topic, but related. I was marveling at the diversity of life on Earth, which led me wonder: to what extent does sustained life on Earth depend on that diversity? I.e., what would be required or different for a planet to host and sustain a single species of life? Given the nature of evolution, and that one subscribes to it, life on Earth started with a single organism that replicated. From that point…

"life on Earth started with a single organism that replicated." I would tend to ponder that life in it's simplest form is not singular and never has been and this is the cause of evolution.

Post by unkown-unknowns » Sun, Aug 06, 2017, 9:16 AM UTC

yladiz wrote: post #135

chongli wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So if somebody has a limb amputation, losing a lot of nerves, are they a different person? Is somebody a different person when they're drunk? I've heard both of these thrown around colloquially. It's not obvious or straightforward to answer. You could imagine a Ship of Theseus style replacement of all the neurons in your head with artificial ones. At what point would you stop being you?

My thoughts are that 'you' as a person change constantly, year to year, and who you are now is not the same as 5, 10, more years ago. I don't think it's so much that you are a different person because you lost a limb or are drunk, it's the change in personality and mind that accompany those that makes that person different. You could absolutely lose a limb and be 'the same' person, but you could also change significa…

Post by celticninja » Sun, Aug 06, 2017, 9:20 AM UTC

fattire wrote: post #121

delecti wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A zoo is still a zoo if there aren't any animals in it, but it wouldn't stay in business very long. No matter how important the animals are to the long-term viability of the zoo, they are not the zoo. My gut bacteria may be vital to my survival, but they are not me. I don't find placing that line to be difficult at all.

> A zoo is still a zoo if there aren't any animals in it Is it? Identity is an interesting thing. To use a commonly-cited example-- if I swap out the muffler of my car and toss the original in the backyard, I think most would say I am still driving the same car. If I do the same with the front left tire, it's still essentially my car. Even if replace all four tires, same. But what if I swap one part a day with a repl…