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Self of Theseus
(thelemmy.club)
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this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2026
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Isn’t the human body exactly that
I’m pretty sure I’m not my 10 year old self. Even though i have since off their memories
Apart from specific non-proliferating cells, statistically all of your entire body's cells will have been completely replaced every 7 years*.
So we're all exactly like that... just over such a long period of time we don't notice it.
*For the quickest proliferating cells in your body, like your skin cells, this is a matter of just weeks.
iirc nerve cells basically live forever. So I'm the end, you'll completely regenerate, except for your nerve cells
Some of the atoms/molecules in your body have probably already cycled through the entire food web and come back to you ... probably multiple times, especially if you don't move around a lot and eat locally produced food.
But do the molecules and atoms in each cell stay the same?
Probably not, even in non-proliferating cells. They do still have to repair damage after all.
But I have no idea of what the timescale is for the complete replacement of every atom in your body
living beings isnt a matter thing, and more of a wave of matter that propagates by getting more matter and shedding old one.
Pretty much, yeah. Though the amount of self-awareness varies wildly.
With consciousness not being fully understood it's possible you're a different person every time you wake up or just randomly between thoughts or maybe you're everyone and you just quickly round robin context switch or maybe you don't have a consciousness and I'm the only one who has one?
Put the weed down /s
This is my view: Your body ages and regenerates. You are a living ship of theseus, you are a different person at different stages of life. Yet, you retain the memory of your past life.
The ship of theseus is an entirely different ship, but it retains the memory of a self.
So if a brain injury causes you to lose your memories, you are an entirely different person?
People with Alzheimer’s usually are totally different people. Though they do tend to retain some long-term memories or skills.
I'm taking bids for a contract: what's the minimum rate of surgeries per year you can offer to make me immortal. I offer a perpetual fraction of my lifetime earnings, to be agreed upon later.
I can make you immortal with zero surgeries per year! Just sign right here for 20% of your lifetime earnings in perpetuity.
Sure, sure, I know that sounds like a scam, but don't worry -- it's guaranteed! If you ever die (thus discovering that you have not, in fact, been made immortal), you're entitled to a full refund of everything you've ever paid into it, plus interest!