The Brain Transplant Argument

[mbillie1]

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(1) It is not absolutely impossible that our brains should be transplanted into new receptacles while retaining their intrinsic functions. (The intrinsic functions are the processes that characteristically occur in the brain, and which are assumed to sustain a mentally endowed subject.)

(2) Amongst the brain’s intrinsic functions is that of sustaining a subject with thoughts, apparent memories, beliefs, (etc.), and so such a rehoused and functioning brain will sustain a subject of experience who has psychological links to the donor subject.

(3) The total system, of which the rehoused brain is a functioning part, is not the self-same animal which donated it.

(4) The resulting subject sustained by (or realized by) this system would be the same subject (or person) which that brain previously sustained.

Do you think that BTA shows that animalism is false?

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the bolded part in "2" is a pretty bold claim. the brain receives signals from the entire body. sensory stimuli, nutrition, etc all have a significant impact on making up our conscious experience / "who we are" ... it's a pretty bold claim to say that the rehoused brain brings the same subject experience from the original body/brain. i'm not convinced whatsoever that "2" is acceptable as a premise.

i'm also not convinced whatsoever that the subject/experience/self in the new body would be the same if the old brain could be transplanted into it. also, unfortunately, there's no way to demonstrate that since we have no ability to experience other subjects directly, even if we could do this dramatic brain transplant process (although obviously we could have some idea or another based on interacting with the new body/brain combination)