Mind transfer (biological)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mind transfer or identity transfer is a storytelling device seen in a variety of science fiction and supernatural fiction, in which one's consciousness is transferred into another body.[1] A "bidirectional" mind transfer is variously called body swap, mind swap, or identity exchange.[2]
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction distinguishes the following types of identity transfer:
- Transfer of the personality to another body akin to mind uploading into computer[1]
- Brain transplant[1]
- Aliens taking over human bodies[1]
- Shared identity, whereby the host body accepts another's mind[1]
Early occurrences include The Year 4338: Petersburg Letters (Vladimir Odoyevsky, 1835), in which mind transfer is but a plot trick to travel into the future,[3] and "Exchanging Their Souls" (Edward Page Mitchell, 1877), where it is used as a "wonderful cure" for a "Russian Prince Michalskovich".[4]