How about reality? That does not count any more in the “alternative universe”???That doesn’t point to anything.
The answer is that it is an easy date to use and it is more of a cultural thing than something that requires any deliberate thought.The question is till the same: “why do we only celebrate the birthday” and not conception day or quickening day? The answer is: “because only the event of birth separates the embryo, fetus from the newborn”.
Participating in a party is not the grounds I use when I make logical arguments.How about reality? That does not count any more in the “alternative universe”???
You have changed the word “corpse” to “human being” - please explain why. Why is breathing not a sufficient criterion to continue to determine that an entity which has been classified as a human being for decades continues to be a human being and not a corpse? Why do you say that if a human being continues to breathe but encounters other (unspecified) medical problems that particular human being is 1) not a human being; 2) a corpse. How many corpses breathe? How many human beings cease being human while they breathe?Breathing is not a sufficient criterion to declare someone a human being.
Neuro-science is not a “who” but a “what” which is interpreted by various “who” entities. Those “who” entities disagree with each other. How do you determine which are correct?Says neuro-science
Who says the brain is the only organ for which this does not apply? What is it about the brain which makes it special? Please name the brain functions which make someone a human being and cite the definitive functions which, having been lost, strip a human being from his right to be called a human being.The only organ for which it does not apply is the brain.
Please give me the stats on the percentage of “real human being” women who had the life sucked right out of them because they were pregnant. If childbearing is a death toll for every woman, what are your thoughts on how the human race will survive?Sucking the life of a real human being is fundamentally different from needing to be fed and cared for. Is this not obvious?
Who says so? Did Terri Shiavo have a frontal lobe? I know that, besides breathing, her heart continued to beat. Do newborn babies have a frontal lobe? Why didn’t you answer my question about why you think Shiavo and newborn babies should be treated differently?Without a frontal lobe there is no person.
Answer: when an accredited board says so. Question: Why did you avoid the question I actually asked? Repeating it: Who decides what is “sufficiently advanced functionality of the brain” and why do you apply the term differently to a baby than to Schiavo?This is a too open-ended question to answer in a specific way. You could ask: “when is a medical student sufficiently knowledgeable to be considered a doctor?”
Because that is our American culture. In China, a child is considered to be 1 year old on the day of his birth.Just ponder: why do we celebrate the birthday and not the conception day, of the quickening day?
Are you kidding me? I didn’t get my SS# until I was 15.Why don’t we assign a social security number to an unborn?
Show me where they can’t.Why can’t the unborns inherit?
Whoo- hoo! I answered everything. Waiting for your answers…If you can answer these questions, you will get the answer to your other questions.
Simple. One needs to perform experiments, and whichever interpretation gives better results, it will be declared the correct interpretation - FOR THE TIME BEING. Science does not look for “absolute” answers, only for ones which are verified by observation. And which are good enough to use in further experiments.Neuro-science is not a “who” but a “what” which is interpreted by various “who” entities. Those “who” entities disagree with each other. How do you determine which are correct?
Please, this does not lead anywhere. The brain is the “boss”, it regulates the rest of the body. Any other organ can be replaced by a transplant, of a prostheses - EXCEPT the brain.Who says the brain is the only organ for which this does not apply? What is it about the brain which makes it special?
This really getting nowhere.Please give me the stats on the percentage of “real human being” women who had the life sucked right out of them because they were pregnant. If childbearing is a death toll for every woman, what are your thoughts on how the human race will survive?
No she did not. All that remained was the brain stem. Yes, newborns have a frontal lobe.Who says so? Did Terri Shiavo have a frontal lobe? Do newborn babies have a frontal lobe?
Actually, you did not. Your “answer” was always a new question.Whoo- hoo! I answered everything.
Well…what do you expect. You have a radically different view of what constitutes a human being. You should expect challenging questions to arise when debating someone who affirms humanity at all stages.Actually, you did not. Your “answer” was always a new question.
Actually a reasoned counter argument would be just fine. But the repeated presentation of already answered questions is not helpful.Well…what do you expect. You have a radically different view of what constitutes a human being.
The discovery will come from science, not from internet conversation. Such conversations could lead YOU to new discoveries. What I said was based upon biology, neuro-science etc… These are all subject to verification and revision, if and when science becomes more advanced. So they are not “stock” answers. On the other hand, declaring that a human being is one who has an immortal and rational soul… now that is a stock answer. And there is no evidence for it.Standing on your own stock answers will never lead you to discovery.
Except when they’re sleeping and there is no sign of any of that.And now we reach the final conclusion. A human being is a sapient entity. Maybe even sentient, but that is not important. So humans are a subset of sapient beings .
Nonsense. They are sapient on the “sleeping” level. They can even be creative while asleep. There is a huge amount of brain activity in the sleeping period. It is mostly the activity of the sub-conscious (the white cells). Are you familiar with the grey cells and the white cells?Except when they’re sleeping and there is no sign of any of that.
That resembles more a machine than a person.Nonsense. They are sapient on the “sleeping” level. They can even be creative while asleep. There is a huge amount of brain activity in the sleeping period. It is mostly the activity of the sub-conscious (the white cells). Are you familiar with the grey cells and the white cells?
And what is the difference? The overwhelming activity in our bodies is regulated by the sub-conscious. Our digestive tract, for example. Or the breathing, which is automatic. It is an integral part of our existence. Only a very small part of our existence reaches the level of consciousness. The estimate is less than 5%. the rest is “machine” like.That resembles more a machine than a person.
Temporary sleep is not the same as persistent vegetative state.Then that’s no more conclusive than DNA, it’s just a living husk.
There is hardly much of a difference in every other regard.Temporary sleep is not the same as persistent vegetative state.
There is “almost” no difference between two piles of uranium atoms, one of which is ONE atom fewer, while the other one if ONE atom over the CRITICAL MASS. “Almost” no difference, except a huge explosion… please try to get serious.There is hardly much of a difference in every other regard.
This is the point being discussed. What is obvious is that this is not actually a fact; it is your opinion.Obviously the zygote, blastocyst, embryo, fetus are not actual human beings, they are potential human beings
What is the difference?This is the point being discussed. What is obvious is that this is not actually a fact; it is your opinion.
If born, either naturally or in a cesarean section, then it is a human. The point is that a born fetus is now a biologically independent being, not a parasitic, symbiotic entity. this cannot be emphasized enough.You didn’t respond when I made this point before, so I’ll try again. You mentioned sentience and/or sapience as a requirement for being human, so: is a premature infant born at 24 weeks human or not? Legally of course he would be fully human, but is that a designation you would grant?
If born/unborn is your criterion then sapience and sentience are irrelevant. All of your arguments about the state of the mind are meaningless so let’s move on from that discussion.If born, either naturally or in a cesarean section, then it is a human. The point is that a born fetus is now a biologically independent being, not a parasitic, symbiotic entity. this cannot be emphasized enough.