When are we not ourselves?

[ignoramus]

Serious question guys ...forget entropy, etc.
Why the hell can't our dna regenerate our cells with optimum information? Rather than ageing us?
Can scientists ever manipulate our dna and create the "fountain of youth"? I think so.

[KUSA]

Serious question guys ...forget entropy, etc.
Why the hell can't our dna regenerate our cells with optimum information? Rather than ageing us?
Can scientists ever manipulate our dna and create the "fountain of youth"? I think so.

It doesn't matter. You would not be you after a few years. Every atom would be replaced.

What if scientists could make a younger version of you in a machine and give it all of your memories? Would you let them kill you and let the newer better version live on in your place?

[ignoramus]

Nah, that's too much science fiction.
Seriously... forget whether we are we or someone else.
Why does our dna regenerate cells less than optimum as we age? And why can't we reprogram the dna one day to fix it?
This shouldn't be too much of a morality issue for the rich and famous who run the govt.

[GrandizerII]

You decide who you are, not the atoms in your body.

[KUSA]

Nah, that's too much science fiction.
Seriously... forget whether we are we or someone else.
Why does our dna regenerate cells less than optimum as we age? And why can't we reprogram the dna one day to fix it?
This shouldn't be too much of a morality issue for the rich and famous who run the govt.

I'm sure it will happen one day. However, it does not address my question at all.

[GrandizerII]

Serious question guys ...forget entropy, etc.
Why the hell can't our dna regenerate our cells with optimum information?  Rather than ageing us?
Can scientists ever manipulate our dna and create the "fountain of youth"? I think so.

What if scientists could make a younger version of you in a machine and give it all of your memories? Would you let them kill you and let the newer better version live on in your place?

No, I wouldn't.

This is somewhat similar to robvalue's VR thread, and thus my answer would also be similar. I would not because I am attached to the me that is currently typing this post, not to that other version of me who I would see as a separate entity from me.

[abaris]

Who is "they" and what is this "7 year" thing, got any links?

It was the general consensus a time ago, but far as I know, it has been debunked for quite some time now. We don't renew every cell in our bodies every 7 years. A part of our cells is replaced within 7 to 10 years. Others aren't replaced at all during our livetimes.

[KUSA]

What if scientists could make a younger version of you in a machine and give it all of your memories? Would you let them kill you and let the newer better version live on in your place?

No, I wouldn't.

This is somewhat similar to robvalue's VR thread, and thus my answer would also be similar. I would not because I am attached to the me that is currently typing this post, not to that other version of me who I would see as a separate entity from me.

But you are ok with the current you being replaced one atom at a time? The entity that typed this will be entirely replaced in a few years with a flawed copy that thinks it you.

[KUSA]

Who is "they" and what is this "7 year" thing, got any links?

It was the general consensus a time ago, but far as I know, it has been debunked for quite some time now. We don't renew every cell in our bodies every 7 years. A part of our cells is replaced within 7 to 10 years. Others aren't replaced at all during our livetimes.

The atoms that make up the cell are replaced.

[GrandizerII]

No, I wouldn't.

This is somewhat similar to robvalue's VR thread, and thus my answer would also be similar. I would not because I am attached to the me that is currently typing this post, not to that other version of me who I would see as a separate entity from me.

But you are ok with the current you being replaced one atom at a time? The entity that typed this will be entirely replaced in a few years with a flawed copy that thinks it you.

At a time ... they're not all being replaced in one go. I would not call this dying or turning into a completely new self. The construction of self isn't really about the body anyway, it's a continual and ongoing process that is maintained through a stream of memories and perceived stability of the mind along with societal reinforcements of the supposedly unchanging self.