The Map Collector

In this essay, I explored the perspectives that can be gained if you think of a collection of minds as a single mind of a different order. A supermind, if you will, although not everything about it is super, or even necessarily an improvement. Having gone over what constitutes a mind, I now want to consider what constitutes a body. Seems obvious, as the borders are clearly drawn for all to see and touch. But a single body is made up of countless discrete living cells, which in turn make up larger and larger systems within the body. The circulatory system is alive by any definition, but we don’t consider it a person. Why? Because if you rip out someone’s heart and blood vessels, they die, and so does the extracted material. A body is something that cannot be divided any more without destroying the person. That’s literally where we get the word “individual,” one who cannot be chopped in half without involving the police.
( Read more... )