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What "yourself" do you identify with, with how you are (phenotype) or with what DNA you carry in total (genotype)?
Phenotype does of course not just mean the look, but your whole genetic expression including blood groups, mentality etc. So this question is essentially about whether you include also all your recessive genes in your "ego" or not.
Relevant considerations: If you would live without getting children, there would never be anything else then your phenotype mattering. But if you breed, your phenotype is irrelevant for the outcome and the only thing that matters is your genotype. From this you pass down an arbitrary half. So if you once are dead, only the resuits of your genotype are left (biologically).
A little bit more far fetched, but not impossible, is a broader identification of the "ego". Out of the gentic of our parents we are also an arbitrary selection. Considering this, it could be thought of wanting to ignore this arbitrary result and see onself to not have any other "ego" than to be a respresentative of the gene pool of the parents, of the family or of the own people (own ethnic group, that is the relevant reproductive community).
As for myself I've come to the conclusion that I identify myself with my genotype. This is not just an intellectual thing, but also in line with my feeling. I maybe have to add that I do have children.
Discuss!
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