If a different sperm had fertilised my mother's egg, would I still be me?

Question

My father unleashed millions of sperm into my mother 40+ years ago, and one of them found an egg, dived in, and bingo, I arrived nearly 9 months later. If another one of those sperm had got to the egg first, would I still be me? I know my parents would still have had a child, and my brother and sister a sibling, but where would I be?

Answer 1

Your DNA would be different, so you would be someone else, I imagine.

Answer 2

According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead the answer is probably yes. Besides the millions of sperm racing to the egg, there are souls in transition between death and rebirth. Those that are too fearful, angry, or confused to enter the great white light are eventually attracted to an egg that is being fertilized. By studying and practicing the appropriate rituals and meditations, and with the assistance of a lama reading the book out loud to them as they are dying, some souls can manage to choose what sort of being they will be reborn as, and who their parents will be.

Answer 3

An excellent question, to which you have received some really poor answers. I believe the answer is 'we dont really know' The DNA will be exactly the same, anyone saying differnt needs to go back to school. However, as siblings, even identical twins are not the same person, it is easily argued that if a different sperm was successful, a different person would be born. There is nothing to say however that, that person would be noticebly different from you.

Answer 4

Cool how did you think about such a question.
I think you would have most of your characteristics like what happens when twins are born, but you won't be the same you.

And if the sperm with a different chromosome would have fertilized the egg you would have been the other sex.

Answer 5

You would not exist. You would be a different form of you. (Hmmm, you would be your own sibling!)

If the other half of the genetic material that the successful sperm carried to make you had not got to the egg first then that half of you would be a stain on the bedsheet. Well...you did ask 'where you'd be' :-)

Answer 6

it seems a very simple queston to me. you wouldnt be here, if that sperm that you originated from would not have gotten to the egg first. somebody else would have been born in that case. maybe very similar, maybe not. but as similar to you as your brothers and sisters are. for instance look at 2-egg twins they are not the same person, they are different. btw 1-egg twins are different too (i am one) and even from the same egg.

Answer 7

It's not worth dwelling on what might have been. if something other than what happened, happened, then no. You would not be you. As a compensation, nor would anyone else be exactly who they are. The world and, by inevitable extension, the entire universe from that point on would be a different place and you would not exist within it. But you do exist and what's done is done.

Answer 8

You would be different, genetically speaking. You could have been born with different hair, eyes, even gender. Of course if you bring a "soul" into things it's harder, if you believe in souls entering the bodies of children when they are born you could be the same person you are now, but look different.

Answer 9

excellent question !

biologically ? i have no idea.

philosophically ? well here goes...

if we can categorise the fertilisation as an event (no pun intended) then all events from the beginning of time have played a roll in the creation of you. all events from your birth to date has made you what you are.

this is a chain reaction, the old "cause and effect," now here's my question for you...

could it have happened any other way ?

Answer 10

You might not exist to ask this question if its another sperm who beats you to the egg :)

Answer 11

You probably wouldn't be exactly the same because the sperm carry different genes.