Why focus on preserving the brain?

We all cherish our faces, hands, legs, and hearts as parts of who we are. But no part of you is more important than your brain. Within it is all of your memories, experiences, skills, preferences, and personality. Within it is you. To see that this is true, consider what parts of your body can be lost or replaced without changing who you are as a person. For example, people can and do have their internal organs such as the liver, heart, and intestines replaced with artificial or transplanted organs. Losing an arm or a leg is certainly devastating to a person’s life, but we do not treat a loved one who has lost an arm as a different person.

Of all your organs, only your brain is special – damage to the brain actually changes who a person is, either by destroying memories, by reducing cognitive function, or by altering personality. This is why we view the brain as both a necessary and sufficient object to preserve in order to preserve a person.