Solipsis: Escape from the Comatorium Read Free Page B

the government apparently doesn't
agree.”
    “ What
kind of quality of life do you expect to enjoy?”
    “ I
keep hearing people say that I'll be living in a jar,” Nellie
responds with a smile. “But we already live in a jar, it's
called a skull. And we remotely operate robotic bodies, they just
happen to be biological. The human body is a wonderful robot. It
takes in nutrients, extracts usable energy from it, then expels the
waste. It keeps everything running with this flow of energy and
oxygen. No need to plug it in and recharge, no need for some exotic
fuel, it feeds on energy sources that are all around us. It even has
defense mechanisms, anti-virus if you will. Nature did an amazing job
of creating these magnificent machines, but they don't last forever,
and they sometimes don't last long at all. If this works, we'll no
longer have to die when our bodies stop working.”
    “ But
can humans really exist as...a brain in a jar?”
    “ Why
can't we?”
    “ Perhaps
something will be lost in the transfer.”
    “ You
mean the soul?” Nellie asks. “There's never been any
evidence of the existence of a soul. I know a lot of people outside
this building will tell you otherwise, and might say that I'm trying
to play god, but there will always be opposition to new things. I'm
sure there were people who thought that humans shouldn't fly or try
to understand the true nature of the solar system. Progress marches
on. It always will.”
    “ If
humans are capable of advancing technology forever, does that imply
that there's a point where we will cross some invisible barrier into
a realm that we shouldn't enter. Why should we think that all
progress is good?”
    “ Well,
of course technology isn't inherently good. The understanding of
atoms led to the atomic bomb. The study of medicine saved billions of
lives, but also gave us the ability to create biological and chemical
weapons. I suppose there might be an argument to be made that some
technologies are too dangerous, that say, discovering atomic theory
leads to a 50-50 shot of civilization promptly destroying itself,
then sure, maybe we're better off not knowing. But I don't see what
all the hullabaloo is about. I'm not making a neutron bomb or
something, I'm just conducting the first human trial of brain
vivisection.”
    “ Gwen,”
Peter says from the doorway. Gwen's eyes stay focused on the TV, not
wanting to get any clues from his face, trying to delay the moment
where she discovers the result of the operation.
    “ So
far so good,” Peter says. Gwen is too nervous to even have a
sigh of relief. Peter sits next to her, putting a comforting arm
around her. “Her brain is out and all the readings look good.
In a few hours we'll be able to hook her up and see if it worked.
They're gonna need me back in a minute, so just keep your head up, I
think she'll make it. Probably.” Peter awkwardly pats her on
the thigh then leaves. Gwen stays focused on the TV.
    “ What
do you say to those who suggest that humans are supposed to die, that
death is a natural part of life?” Tim asks, “ I
personally have had a near-death experience, and let me tell you, it
wasn't at all a scary or bad thing, it was wonderful, and I look
forward to dying one day, at the proper age and time of course.”
    “ I'm
sorry to burst your bubble, but near-death experiences aren't a
mystery. NDEs are caused by the release of a neuro-chemical called
DMT. You can go to a lab and try DMT right now, and in the proper
dose, we can recreate your near death experience. It seems the brain
has a defense mechanism for death, making it okay for us to die. The
evidence clearly tells us that NDEs aren't supernatural, they're not
a glimpse of heaven, they're the product of a hallucinogenic high.”
    “ I
have trouble seeing the world as black and white. I think that
humanity has much more grandeur than that. You seem to see us as
nothing but the physical material we are made of. How do you
reconcile this