We want a lot more precision restoring brains than from restoring kidneys—it’s conceivable that there’s a limit which makes good enough restoration for kidneys possible, but not for brains, though I don’t think that’s the way to bet. It’s plausible to me that restoring brains adequately is much harder.
It’s also true, though perhaps irrelevant, that we don’t actually care whether kidneys are restored. If my kidneys are damaged and a surgeon successfully transplants Sam’s kidneys into my body, I’m basically OK with that… I don’t especially want my kidneys, I just want kidneys. I suspect that’s true of most people.
If my brain is damaged and a surgeon transplants Sam’s brain into my body, the corresponding thing is much less true.
That being said, I expect that >99% of my cognitive function, memories, etc could be replaced by Sam’s and I would be OK with that as well, even if I make the OKness evaluation with my current brain. Identifying the <1% for which that isn’t true is a tricky project, though. That being said, I expect I’m very atypical in this respect.
We want a lot more precision restoring brains than from restoring kidneys—it’s conceivable that there’s a limit which makes good enough restoration for kidneys possible, but not for brains, though I don’t think that’s the way to bet. It’s plausible to me that restoring brains adequately is much harder.
This seems like a non-obvious statement to me. Kidney function is dependent on fine microstructure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renal_corpuscle
The size of each corpuscle is about the same as the size of a neuron.
Moreover, human kidneys can’t be reversibly cryopreserved by current methods.
Yes.
It’s also true, though perhaps irrelevant, that we don’t actually care whether kidneys are restored. If my kidneys are damaged and a surgeon successfully transplants Sam’s kidneys into my body, I’m basically OK with that… I don’t especially want my kidneys, I just want kidneys. I suspect that’s true of most people.
If my brain is damaged and a surgeon transplants Sam’s brain into my body, the corresponding thing is much less true.
That being said, I expect that >99% of my cognitive function, memories, etc could be replaced by Sam’s and I would be OK with that as well, even if I make the OKness evaluation with my current brain. Identifying the <1% for which that isn’t true is a tricky project, though. That being said, I expect I’m very atypical in this respect.