Friday, December 7, 2007

Where is Harry?

In my readings, I discovered a short sci-fi story by a philospher at my old school, Tufts University. Daniel Dennet, whose class I attended before droppping it on day 1, wrote "Where am I?", a story about himself participating in a unique experiment. Danny boy's been asked by the government to fetch a radioactive isotope. The problem? This thing is radiactively dangerous. No surprise - until we find out that it is only harmful to the brain. All other body tissues are unharmed by the isotope.
What to do? Essentially a person needs to get the isotope but make sure his brain is in a safe location. Hm? He undergoes a surgery where his brain is removed and placed in a nutrient-filled vat, and miniature transitors are placed in the brain and his empty skull so that Danny can feel exactly the same in his body, even though the brain has physically been taken out. After the surgery he wakes up feeling "light-headed" and goes to the room where his brain is being stored. There he sees it, floating in the vat.

I haven't read the whole thing, but I'm at the early part where he wonders about "where he is", now that he's been split. If the brain is "him", then why is walking around looking at it, touching the glass? Isn't "he" really floating in that damn vat? Oye, oye.

Anyway, will read it later, but I'm a little nervous because I know he faces a landslide and the transistors fuk up, so he loses his bodily feeling.

"Where am I", Mr Dennet? Two words: Shits Ville

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