Why Does Life Have Tlo Be so Bubmptious?

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Am I Still Me? Read the following “thought experiment” about personal identity and answer the questions at the end. The Great Brain-Swap Disaster Robinson and Brown go into hospital for a brain clean. This involves the removal of their brains. Neither of them have met before: in fact Brown goes in to see the Mental Hygienist before Robinson even arrives in the waiting room of the Mentist’s, so they don’t get a chance to meet before going under sedation (being made unconscious). While they are unconscious, their brains are put in separate brainboxes to be cleaned, while their bodies are kept alive on life support machines. Unfortunately, the Mental Hygienist is having a bad hair day and he forgets which brain is in which brainbox. Robinson’s brain goes into Brown’s body. Brown’s brain goes into Robinson’s body. Sometimes when patients undergo an organ transplant, the organ is the wrong ‘type’ for the body, or the body the wrong ‘type’ for the organ. The Brown body rejects the Robinson brain and this entity dies. That is, Brown’s body dies with Robinson’s brain in it, which also dies. The Robinson body with the Brown brain wakes up. Let’s call this entity Brownson. Brownson: Interpersonal Man of Mystery Who is Brownson? We have three options: 1) Brownson is Robinson, with the ‘wrong brain’. 2) Brownson is Brown, with the ‘wrong body’. 3) Brownson is a new person whom we shouldn’t regard as being ‘really’ either Brown or Robinson. Questions: 1. Where will Brownson go home to, and whose former life will he try to continue living? Brownson will almost certainly go to where Brown lived before. He will probably do the job that Brown’s body did before although his work colleagues might not believe him. 2. Which is true, 1, 2 or 3? Explain your decision. I think that number 2 is right. Brownson’s brain is probably

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