Justin Lieber Essay, Research Paper
I read how to build a person by Justin Lieber. Justin Lieber is a professor at
the University of Houston, whom also writes science fiction. This selection,
which was taken from his novel Beyond Rejection, is fictional and is based in
the future. The story is set in the year 2112 in a Houston hospital. In this
hospital they are brains on one person into the body of another. The story
starts with the hospital giving a class on how they are attempting to transplant
a mind into a human body. The test subjects name was Sally Cudmus, and she has
been frozen in ice for two years. In this story they discuss the difficulties of
implanting a brain into a body. They talk of the problems that would occur if a
mind was implanted into a body that was not it?s own. They say this is
possible due to the fact that the brain can adapt to major changes around it
with in days. The example they give to show this is possible is one with reverse
goggles. If a person puts on goggles that would make everything appear upside
down the person would be disoriented. After a few day the subjects brain would
adapt to these changes making what the goggles made upside down rights side up.
If the goggles were then taken off everything again would seem upside down,
until the brain once again adapted to this change. In this story it is said that
a mind is like a tape, and the only thing this tape needs is a body similar to
its original to function. I do not agree with this because a brain is not like
any other organ that can be transplanted. A person?s brain is dynamic in that
it functions with a particular person, and is one of a kind. No matter how
similar the body types may be, a humans brain and thoughts can not be
transferred to another body. In my opinion a person?s brain would not adapted
to such a drastic change as a body switch. In the end the subject wakes up
remembering who he once was. After touching his new body he realizes he is no
longer in his original figure. The subject does not like this because his new
body was much different then his own. He no longer had a penis and his muscular
for he once had was gone. Also a tale like extension had grown from his spinal
cord to his feet. The subject realizes that he will no longer be who he once
was, and is understandably discontent.