Fluffy
A fool
A corpus callosotomy is a procedure in which the two hemispheres of the brain are disconnected from each other. People who undergo this experience split-brain where the functionality of various senses is reduced or altered due to the side of the brain that controls them and the inability to share this information between the halves. For example, a person showed an object in their left visual field would be unable to name it since this image would be sent to the right side of the brain whilst the speech centre is usually located in the left. They are not left mentally retarded,
A hemispherectomy is a procedure in which half of a person's brain is either entirely removed or disabled. People who undergo this are usually left mentally retarded but not always. Here is an in depth example case.
In the first scenario, a human is alive with two independent hemispheres in their head. These are not connected in anyway and cannot share information. Should we think of this human as 1 or 2 people?
In the second scenario, a person survives with 1 half of their brain. It therefore stands to reason that both halves should be able to survive independently of each other. If I could grow a body that did not have a brain, removed half of mine and placed it in its head, there would now be two alive humans who shared the same brain. Are these two separate people or are they the same person?
I think that these cases produce problems for the concept of self. When we think of self we think of a single being. If we reject any supernatural ideas such as the soul for a moment (although they also run into trouble) then the brain must be the source of this being since this is what creates this sense of self. How can we merge this with the fact that the brain can produce it without being unified or can produce it twice if we cut it in half? What is the difference between the person who has his brain separated in the same head and the person who has his brain in two different bodies?
A hemispherectomy is a procedure in which half of a person's brain is either entirely removed or disabled. People who undergo this are usually left mentally retarded but not always. Here is an in depth example case.
In the first scenario, a human is alive with two independent hemispheres in their head. These are not connected in anyway and cannot share information. Should we think of this human as 1 or 2 people?
In the second scenario, a person survives with 1 half of their brain. It therefore stands to reason that both halves should be able to survive independently of each other. If I could grow a body that did not have a brain, removed half of mine and placed it in its head, there would now be two alive humans who shared the same brain. Are these two separate people or are they the same person?
I think that these cases produce problems for the concept of self. When we think of self we think of a single being. If we reject any supernatural ideas such as the soul for a moment (although they also run into trouble) then the brain must be the source of this being since this is what creates this sense of self. How can we merge this with the fact that the brain can produce it without being unified or can produce it twice if we cut it in half? What is the difference between the person who has his brain separated in the same head and the person who has his brain in two different bodies?