We Are ETH Redefining the Human: Tobias Rees on AI, Microbiomes, and the New Brain
Dec 4, 2025
Tobias Rees, a philosopher and anthropologist known for his research on how technology reshapes the human concept, dives into thought-provoking topics. He discusses the brain as a dynamic, renewing system instead of a fixed organ. Rees challenges traditional definitions of humanity, tracing their evolution from ancient philosophy to modern concepts of equality. He highlights how microbiomes and climate change challenge our separation from nature and explores AI as a unique entity that learns and models, blurring the line between machines and living beings.
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Brain As A Living, Renewing Organ
- The brain was reconceptualized from a fixed chemical organ to a living, renewing system within decades.
- This shift changed how we explain brain function and diseases and reframed what makes humans human.
Scientists Once Denied Adult Neurogenesis
- Early neuroscientists thought adults had no new neurons and explained growth via connectivity changes.
- Later discoveries of adult neurogenesis overturned that belief and fascinated Tobias Rees.
Humanhood Is A Shifting Concept
- The concept of 'the human' has shifted historically from exclusive to universal across centuries.
- Modern ideas of universality enabled equality but also produced problematic separations from nature and machines.
