What are we?

[ryanisadouche]

This is just something thats been bugging me lately, and I can't seem to wrap my head around it. The question is what are we?

I'll start by explaining my thought process as best as I can. Imagine that the top scientists in the world were gathered with unlimited funds and resources to build a human. Lets say they built some kind of skeleton, exactly like a humans, and then molded something flesh-like around it. They then performed organ transplants and gave their "human" all the key components to life. Then, by mechanical means, they got the heart to start pumping blood, forced oxygen into the lungs, etc. My point is, even if they made an exact replica of a human being, and brought all the organs to life to support the body, it would still be a hollow shell; there would be nothing inside capable of thinking or making decisions.

So what I'm getting at here once again is, what are we? We use our brains to think, make decisions, and store memories, but we are clearly not alive because of our brains. I'm not a religious person, but the more i think of it, the more it makes sense that we are some sort of spiritual conscious inside a purely physical body. Or is there some simple carbon-related scientific answer to my confusion? I hope you guys understand what i'm trying to get at, I'd love to hear your opinions.