A new body every five years.

[Silvertusk]

I read in this book, "101 reasons to Believe" that the atoms in the human body replace themselves every 5 years. In essence the total sum of our body is not the same physical person that we are five years ago. Now if this i indeed true, how do we still retain memory of who we are? Are we indeed more than the sum of our parts?

Has anyone else heard anything else about this?

[BGoodForGoodSake]

I read in this book, "101 reasons to Believe" that the atoms in the human body replace themselves every 5 years. In essence the total sum of our body is not the same physical person that we are five years ago. Now if this i indeed true, how do we still retain memory of who we are? Are we indeed more than the sum of our parts?

Has anyone else heard anything else about this?

This may be a slight exageration or an urban legend, but suppose it is true.

Does this apply only to human beings?

[sandy_mcd]

I had heard seven years and assumed it was true but didn't really care much as it seems unimportant. The number would have to be an average; bone, cartilage, and other parts must exchange more slowly than muscle, skin, and hair. I hope it wasn't one of the higher items on the list. It would be more or less true for other living organisms as well; large trees obviously would exchange more slowly on average.
Here is one mention from the web.

[quote="http://www.ciam.unibo.it/photochem/body_intro.html"]These kind of processes is very common in fact everything inside our bodies keeps on regenerating, using materials and energy coming from the environment around us. Our skin renews every month, our liver every six weeks, every year 98% or our body renews itself completely. We could assert that in between everything we know our body is the most recycled device in the world, even our memories, that are particular structures of our brain, are constantly taken to pieces and rebuilt in this exchange of atoms and molecules.[\quote]

[Silvertusk]

I had heard seven years and assumed it was true but didn't really care much as it seems unimportant. The number would have to be an average; bone, cartilage, and other parts must exchange more slowly than muscle, skin, and hair. I hope it wasn't one of the higher items on the list. It would be more or less true for other living organisms as well; large trees obviously would exchange more slowly on average.
Here is one mention from the web.

These kind of processes is very common in fact everything inside our bodies keeps on regenerating, using materials and energy coming from the environment around us. Our skin renews every month, our liver every six weeks, every year 98% or our body renews itself completely. We could assert that in between everything we know our body is the most recycled device in the world, even our memories, that are particular structures of our brain, are constantly taken to pieces and rebuilt in this exchange of atoms and molecules.[\quote]

Well that is pretty much it - much atoms and molecules alone do not contain our memories and who we are. They are just materials, building blocks of our body. Where is the memory in all this? Where is the essence of self?

[Blob]

Life is at the interface between object and process.

The ideas in our minds of atoms and molecules are cultural constructs that arise from conscious life, and not vice versa.

[AttentionKMartShoppers]

Life is at the interface between object and process.

The ideas in our minds of atoms and molecules are cultural constructs that arise from conscious life, and not vice versa.

So, your statement is the result of the culture you live in, or are you saying you are transcending your culture?

Why should we take this statement as truth?

[Blob]

Life is at the interface between object and process.

The ideas in our minds of atoms and molecules are cultural constructs that arise from conscious life, and not vice versa.

So, your statement is the result of the culture you live in, or are you saying you are transcending your culture?

The former.

Why should we take this statement as truth?

You shouldn't. Question everything.

[AttentionKMartShoppers]

AttentionKMartShoppers wrote:
Blob wrote:
Life is at the interface between object and process.

The ideas in our minds of atoms and molecules are cultural constructs that arise from conscious life, and not vice versa.


So, your statement is the result of the culture you live in, or are you saying you are transcending your culture?

The former.

So why should we accept it as truth then? Why should we believe that your statement applies to everyone then?

You've undone yourself-now you're saying it's relative again, and that your statement isn't truth anyway!

Quote:
Why should we take this statement as truth?

You shouldn't. Question everything.

You can't.

[Deborah]

I read in this book, "101 reasons to Believe" that the atoms in the human body replace themselves every 5 years. In essence the total sum of our body is not the same physical person that we are five years ago. Now if this i indeed true, how do we still retain memory of who we are? Are we indeed more than the sum of our parts?

Has anyone else heard anything else about this?

Yes it's 7, every 7 years our bones have regenerated, (grow from inside to outside, like your skin)

[Fisherman]

New body every five years? That's cool! Where do I pick my new one up? I'm owed a little over nine of them.

[Jbuza]

New body every five years? That's cool! Where do I pick my new one up? I'm owed a little over nine of them.

lol. I like it. Thanks. I expect only two new bodies ever.

[Fortigurn]

I would love to know how we store our memories, and how our sense of self is preserved throughout this process.

Or perhaps it isn't. Perhaps this is part of the process by which our memories and characters change over the years.

[Blob]

So why should we accept it as truth then? Why should we believe that your statement applies to everyone then?

You've undone yourself-now you're saying it's relative again, and that your statement isn't truth anyway!

It was an invitation to be reflective, not a dogmatic statement.

Quote:
Why should we take this statement as truth?

You shouldn't. Question everything.

You can't.

With a little imagination you can. Socrates realised this millenia ago.

[August]

If we should question everything, does it mean there is no truth?

[Blob]

I would love to know how we store our memories, and how our sense of self is preserved throughout this process.

Or perhaps it isn't. Perhaps this is part of the process by which our memories and characters change over the years.

Our memories are like RAM not ROM. They change and then disappear when the power is cut. A corpse has no memories.