Sorry, I didn't see this until just now. I wish HN had some kind of notification feature (cough dang save us please cough).
I don't think I'm sugarcoating, at least not in the sense of how the word is usually defined. We know neuroplasticity is real. It isn't just some placebo. Regardless of what part of the brain was affected, because of neuroplasticity, he/she can recover functionality through exercise and training. I agree with you that this won't always be the case, and at some point, brain dead is pretty much brain dead like in the case of survivors of gunshot wounds to the head for example. But given the eloquence of the poster's comment, I think the kind of situation we're looking at here is of a different class.
I don't think I'm sugarcoating, at least not in the sense of how the word is usually defined. We know neuroplasticity is real. It isn't just some placebo. Regardless of what part of the brain was affected, because of neuroplasticity, he/she can recover functionality through exercise and training. I agree with you that this won't always be the case, and at some point, brain dead is pretty much brain dead like in the case of survivors of gunshot wounds to the head for example. But given the eloquence of the poster's comment, I think the kind of situation we're looking at here is of a different class.