FREE ESSAY ON HOW TO BUILD A PERSON - JUSTIN LIEBER

HOW TO BUILD A PERSON - JUSTIN LIEBER

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.