Yet locality is for our own good. It grounds our sense of self, our confidence that our thoughts and feelings are our own. With all due respect to John Donne, every man is an island, entire of himself. We are insulated from one another by seas of space, and we should be grateful for it. Were it not for locality, the world would be magical—and not in a happy, Disneyesque way. As much as sports fans may wish they could sway the game from their living rooms, they should be careful what they wish for, because supporters of the opposing team would presumably have this power, too. Millions of couch potatoes across the land would strain to give their side some advantage, making the game itself meaningless—a contest of fans’ wills rather than of talent on the field. Not just sports games, but the entire world would become hostile to us. In a world without locality, objects outside your body could reach inside without having to pass through your skin, and your body would lose its ability to control its internal condition. You would blend into your environment. And that is the very definition of death

Yet locality is for our own good. It grounds our sense of self, our confidence that our thoughts and feelings are our own. With all due respect to John Donne, every man is an island, entire of himself. We are insulated from one another by seas of space, and we should be grateful for it. Were it not for locality, the world would be magical—and not in a happy, Disneyesque way. As much as sports fans may wish they could sway the game from their living rooms, they should be careful what they wish for, because supporters of the opposing team would presumably have this power, too. Millions of couch potatoes across the land would strain to give their side some advantage, making the game itself meaningless—a contest of fans’ wills rather than of talent on the field. Not just sports games, but the entire world would become hostile to us. In a world without locality, objects outside your body could reach inside without having to pass through your skin, and your body would lose its ability to control its internal condition. You would blend into your environment. And that is the very definition of death