Immortality

I have a Media Center PC. A normal desktop computer in a living-room friendly case, serving as the main playback source for the TV. It can also be used for other computer activities, such as web browsing. It is rather old at this point.

How old? I’m not sure.

I bought it 16 years ago as a normal desktop computer with a tower case. I then changed the hard drive. A couple years later I upgraded the motherboard and CPU, as well as RAM. I then changed the graphics card, and replaced the DVD drive with a Bluray drive. Then upgraded the CPU again. Then I changed the case and the PSU. Then I changed the hard drive to an SSD. Then upgraded the GPU again. And last year I changed the hard drive again to a new one.

Over the years I reinstalled the OS many times. All in all the current computer doesn’t have a single component from the original one. Yet there is no specific point in time that I changed the computer. Every upgrade was gradual, as the great song by Johnny Cash goes: one piece at a time (expect in my case it did cost me more than a dime).

Computers and other objects can be like that. Houses for example. There are definitely some buildings in London that most of their external surface and foundation is more than 100 years old, yet the inside is as modern as can be. Several refurbishments over the years, going back to the brick, changing pipes, cables, the works. Is it the same house after a complete refurbishment?

I do wonder if in the future this extends to living creatures, including humans. Prosthetics have been with us for years, and Elon Musk’s Neuralink is working on more advanced implants to replace functions lost by accidents or diseases.

What if this eventually extends to most body parts? What if in 500 years or so, biotechnology has evolved to the point that human organs and limbs can be created in a lab to higher specifications than our current, natural ones. And once you grow old or have an accident or whatever, you could upgrade yourself one part at a time. A new body, even new neurons to replace your current aging ones.

Where does it stop? And at what point you is no longer you? What defines us? Is it the brain? If we were able to transplant the brain with all its memories, capabilities, knowledge, personality, into a new body, would you say it is the same person?

Using the computer analogy it’s probably similar to upgrading every hardware component and keeping the OS and all installed software and files. Is it the same computer? Or is it the reverse? If you factory reset a computer, is it the same as before or a different one? “Silly analogy” I hear you say, the computer is an object, it’s primarily hardware, the software just helps you use it. A person is primarily the soul, the personality. The body comes after.

But then if technology does indeed evolve to a point where we can upload our personality to a new, improved, upgradeable body, we will have cured death.

I’m pretty sure one day this will be reality, and humanity will have achieved immortality. I’m also pretty sure it will happen after I am dead.