Simple analogy: would it be possible to design a digital hardware&#x2F;software robot (and set of tools), such that the robot could:<p>1) build&#x2F;maintain the tools it needs<p>2) use tools&#x2F;knowledge&#x2F;skill to repair&#x2F;rebuild&#x2F;replace its parts, good-as-new<p>3) transfer it&#x27;s software from the old parts to the new parts when necessary<p>4) achieve immortality<p>If so, one needs to argue why this analogy could not hold for biological life, why any underlying hardware or software cannot in principle be replaced&#x2F;repaired&#x2F;migrated to maintain the immortal being.<p>Obviously this avoids arguments over the self&#x2F;persistence of identity (ship of theseus), but it&#x27;s not directly relevant to the article.