Who are we, really? What allows us to remain the same person from childhood to old age despite the continuous transformation of our bodies and brains?
In The Persistence Problem, Alexis O. Kaya explores one of the oldest questions in philosophy through the lens of modern neuroscience. Drawing on research in memory, neural plasticity, neurodegenerative diseases, and the philosophy of personal identity, this essay proposes a central hypothesis: personal identity may depend not simply on memory or biological matter, but on the continuous persistence of neural architecture.
From the Ship of Theseus to Alzheimer’s disease, from John Locke to contemporary neuroscience, this reflection examines why continuity—not mere similarity—may be the foundation of the self.
A scientific and philosophical journey into one of the deepest mysteries of human existence: What remains when everything else changes?
Alexis O. Kaya, M.D., Ph.D., Neuroscientist.
