Modified carbon. Imagine that we are in the 25th century and that humanity has spread through the galaxy under the supervision of the United Nations, class, race and religion divisions persist, but technological advances have redefined life, now consciousness is stored on digital disks implanted at the base of the brain, which are easily transported to a new body , as if we had a map reader.
This definition belongs to the world created by Richard K. Morgan in sci-fi Altered Carbon, which became a Netflix series. In this fictional world, there are different dilemmas about the future of humanity.
- Among them.
- We highlight the relationship between mind and body.
- In a society where our mind can be transferred to a digital disk.
- What would death be like.
- Is it the same to be in one body or another.
- What consequences would immortality have?.
These are just some of the dilemmas we face when we read the book or watch the Altered Carbon series.
In this dystopia, human identity or consciousness can be reduced to a “cortical cell”. This battery is inserted into the spine, between the cervical ones. It contains people’s memory and identity and is automatically updated with our brains.
On the other hand, we have the “foundations”, which are the bodies. They can be natural or synthetic, i. e. created. The fact is that when the body dies, the cortical cell can be stored indefinitely or inserted into another body. identity can be uploaded to a virtual media.
In this scenario, death is not understood as we understand it, the fact that a body dies does not mean that identity is going to die, so killing one body would not be equivalent to a death, because it can come back to life in another body.
True death only occurs when the cortical cell is destroyed. Can you imagine the implications for people who believe that the soul goes to heaven?And for those who believe in migration? Of souls?
The philosopher René Descartes imagined a dualism between the soul – ego cogitans – and the body of the extended ego, his consideration is very present in Altered Carbon, however, this distinction does not really exist.
The neurologist Antnio Damsio made it clear in his book “The Mistake of Descartes”. The mind and body are one. It is not possible to learn without a body. If we could isolate a spirit, he could not learn anything, because he would need the body. “The body provides a content that is an integral part of the activities of the minds,” Damsio says.
Therefore, those who live in this fictional world would need a body to be conscious, however, being in one body or another is not the same, changing bodies would result in very strange sensations.
Similarly, the concept of me and personal identity would change radically as the previous organization became different, so learning would change, the sensations we would perceive with our senses would cease to be the same and, therefore, our interpretations of these signals would also be different. be different.
In short, a body change is more likely to cause trauma
Those who have lived long, hundreds of years, are called “Mat” in the series. It is an abbreviation for Methuselah, a biblical character who would no longer have lived, no less than 969 years.
Although living so many years may seem positive, a Mat in the book says it is necessary to be a specific type of person to move forward, want to continue, life after life, body after body. the beginning, regardless of what would become over the centuries.
As he says, not everyone has the ability to be carpets. Living so much means seeing a lot of things, good and bad. Watch many loved ones die, including children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren. Could you handle it?
Similarly, relationships with those who have lived fewer hours will not be the same: “If you live so long, things begin to lose interest. “
“You’ve had enough of yourself. In the end, he thinks he’s God. That’s why the “minors,” in their thirties or forties, are nothing. You’ve seen many civilizations born and die, and you’re starting to feel like this isn’t going to happen to you and that nothing else really matters. Maybe you’re starting to treat people, the minors?as if they were flowers under your feet?.