fandomhigh | Practical Philosophy, Friday

"In the modern Western view, influenced as it is by Christian theology, each person consists of a body and a soul," Ender said. "Sometimes we add on the mind, as well, with our soul being some carrier of an innate emotional self, and the mind holding our capacity for thought. The general idea behind this is that our bodies are simply lumps of flesh, possessed by a soul that is eternal. You inhabit your body, but you are your soul."

He reached for his bottle of water.

"There are cases where our body doesn't map so well onto the soul," he said. "People with phantom limbs, or transgender people who don't see the body they should have in the mirror, for instance. A quirk of the body misaligns with the soul and wrecks the self? Whatever it means, that lump of flesh is apparently more than just a vessel. It means something. And for it to not be what it's supposed to can have grave consequences for the soul."

He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"Fandom likes to play with our bodies," he said. "Sometimes, Dean Skywalker likes to do so, too. Has that ever happened to you? Did it tell you anything about yourself? How did you feel?"