User:Jaster1

Regeneration Theories

Theory 1

From the pre-regeneration Doctor to the post-regeneration Doctor, the mental continuity is partially broken. The former incarnation actually dies, from his point of view. His consciousness—his soul— ceases. However, the latter incarnation retains the memories of the former because there is a form of mental continuity from the latter. From his point of view, there has just been a change. He remembers everything that all his previous regenerations experienced as if he'd experienced them from his own point of view. For there to be mental continuity with one incarnation and mental death to another, each incarnation has a different consciousness which ends separately. Similar to the way humans have two consciousnesses—the subconscious mind and the normal conscious mind, the Doctor has different consciousnesses. The difference being that they are all the same type of consciousness and do not necessarily coexist. In summary, during regeneration the Doctors physically change and their consciousness dies and is reborn as a new consciousness.

Theory 2

Upon regenerating, there is complete mental continuity. The Doctor has one consciousness and it remains constant throughout his life. Although a death does not occur in the ending of the consciousness, a death does occur in the restructuring of the brain. Every cell in his body changes, and that includes brain cells. That gives him a new brain that functions completely differently—he has different feelings, emotions, thought processes, preferences, all in all making for not just a totally new personality, but a completely reformed way of thinking (but of course keeping the same basic morals and intelligence). When the brain changes, it feels to him like his past self died.