the continuity of our life is an illusion

98 percent of all of your atoms are replaced every year. your dna constantly mutates, your memories altered every time you access them and your personality transforms. and of course our appearance has changed. its pretty safe to say that none of the original information that defined your existence 10 years ago is still present.

since our form has been fully changed many times over the course of our life time is this akin to us having died and been reborn gradually many times? if we lack physical continuity how do we define ourselves as a being? is death just a more extreme form of this change?

 

You die at the time of death. The end.

 

So, memories and personality traits are atomic elements now? Also, DNA does not normally mutate, much less "constantly". I don't know too much on the subject, but I can infer the incredibility of this statement by looking at the functionality of DNA matching in forensics, and it's unusefullness if DNA didn't stay consistant for the most part.

It's most certainly not safe to assume this since I still have memories and experiences from 10 years ago, and since DNA is consistant, and since what "defines you" is your brain, and your brain never alters in any way but through entropy.

No this is not the same as dying and being reborn since the definition of death-- scientifically, not metaphysically-- is the ceasation of brain function. So, given that the brain needs to die in order for you to die, and also-- again-- given the fact that we do not regenerate neural tissues or brain synapsis, we are not dying and being reborn. Not by your logic anyhow.

 

I would not go as far as to say we are being "reborn" every 7 years when 100% of our cells are different.

However, you do make me wonder how much of "me" came from other beings.

When living things decompose, they become part of the soil. The plants use this soil and the nutrients in it to grow. These plants are then consumed by people/animals/insects. Part of the plant becomes part of the being that are it.

We are essentially just made up of billions of beings that lived and died before us.

 

we benefit from a constant perspective and also the ability to form memories.


these allow us to maintain the "continuity of our life"

 

When we eat these plants they get digested and disposed of. We are not made up of billions of things that lived and died, we are made up of the same components we were made of when we were born, our body is smart enough to abosorb nutrients and dispose of the rest, we use the nutrients for energy etc.

 

They get digested, and our intestines absorb nutrients from them, and where do you think those nutrients once came from?

 

....................... This is way too deep, has me thinking too much :S

 

It's pretty clear that you have a lacking knowledge-base of simple biology. I suggest looking into some classes on biochemistry and biology if you're so interested

 

Just because our bodies and mind are constantly changing that doesn't mean we ourselves are completely transform.

 

Interesting theory nonetheless. Perspectives constantly being skewed and molded and conforming to those we surround ourselves with and those we idolize- which are all remnant thoughts and ideologies of the predecessor that originate from an even more archaic thought process and perspective and so on and so forth. It's hard to really, truly harness an original thought, and pursue individuality in the truest sense.