Soma- the Greek word for body. Also the mind impairing drug from Huxley's Brave New World. Obviously, an excellent word choice for this grandiose theory.
The body. Surely an easy thing to define. Webster's says "n. 1 a. the physical structure and material substance of n animal, plant, or other organism. b. the trunk torso, or main mass of an animal, as opposed to the head, limbs, or appendages." Hmmm.... Sorry Webster, I think a headless body is a corpse. However, I will add a qualifier- soma is a living body.
Now, can soma exist in a partial body? A body missing a little finger. Yes. A quadriplegic? Yes. With the marvels of modern medicine, I think you could have soma in a body without a heart. What about a brain? Can you have soma without a brain? Unconscious- yes, insane- yes. Brain dead- I think this is the next qualifier. Soma is a living body that is self-aware. Not yet the "I think, therefore, I am." awareness. Just a simpler "I am" awareness. Just to be annoying, let's call it the "great I am."
Okay- what else needs to go into soma? Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, pleasure and pain.
So far, soma includes both humans and animals. There is also the possibility for created mechanical soma. There are already sensors that can detect sights, sounds, scents and touch far better than humans. The self-aware machine has arrived. http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/09/25/first-self-aware-robot-created/
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