Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 2

Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 2

What makes us individuals?

This question was put into my mind when i watched the movie "Dark City", which is very strange and very interesting at the same time.

So, what makes us individuals? By us i mean of course humans and any other intelligent species. Dark city presented the idea that our memories are what make us individuals. This seems logical yes? Well it is and it isn't. The funny thing about memories are that there is no way to prove that some of those memories really happened and as we grow older we tend to lose memories, does this mean our identities go with them? We are told from very early on that we are unique and that's essentially what makes us individuals. I never really questioned this line of thought until recently after watching dark city. What exactly is unique about me? Not much about my appearance, black hair, brown eyes, hell even my skin tone isn't exactly uncommon. There are lot's of people that share these same features, height and weight of course are shared by many. I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of technology or innovation so it can't be my thought process. My thoughts themselves could be what make me unique, but then again if you look hard enough you will see that lot's of people have the same thought as you. To most the uniqueness or individualism of a person is a combination of all of the above. Thoughts, memories, appearance and all of the other things we do. I suppose this is true to an extent, but what of identical twins? Hell they even share the same DNA, the blueprint of what makes us unique! As i look back at this thought and wonder what makes a person unique i come to a simple conclusion. What makes us unique is not our appearance, ideas or ideals. No, what makes us unique is the way we come to those thoughts and what we do with them, my thought process seems random at times but every thought is connected to something even if it doesn't seem that way.

Thought for the day: Seeking a "unique" perspective is really just asking that guy in the office you have deemed the "Quiet oddball".