What is the definition of a "person"?

[Miles Teg]

It seems to be a constant question. Just what is a person? Does the human fetus count, or not, or only after a certain point? Do animals count as people? Is a non-human person theoretically possible? What about a non-organic person? And what about brain dead humans? Is their any consistent milestone of personhood, or is the definition going to have to be ad hoc?

This is an outgrowth of the persona thread, since it was kind of getting tumor like over there.

Personally, I'd tend towards personhood for non-fetal, non-brain dead humans in practice, while acknowledging the theoretical possibility (and plausibility) of other forms of people. Animals are sort of a sticky wicket for me however.

 

[kulade]

Me and anyone else I like.

 

[JollyRoger]

Depends on if you are aborting or taxing.

 

[Defiant47]

Sentience and intelligence

 

[Miles Teg]

Sentience and intelligence

How are we defining the former, and are intelligent people more persons than dumb people?

 

[Bill3000]

Sentience and intelligence

You're aware that sentience just means able to feel senses such as pain, right? Might mean either self-awareness or sapience instead.

 

[TheJ0K3R]

Two footed . .. .. .. . making animal.Just kidding.I can't find any identification for it

 

[MagisterCultuum]

A person is a mask though which sound can pass.

 

[Cheetah]

It seems to be a constant question. Just what is a person? Does the human fetus count, or not, or only after a certain point? Do animals count as people? Is a non-human person theoretically possible? What about a non-organic person? And what about brain dead humans? Is their any consistent milestone of personhood, or is the definition going to have to be ad hoc?

This is an outgrowth of the persona thread, since it was kind of getting tumor like over there.

Personally, I'd tend towards personhood for non-fetal, non-brain dead humans in practice, while acknowledging the theoretical possibility (and plausibility) of other forms of people. Animals are sort of a sticky wicket for me however.

I guess a person is a self-aware, intelligent individual.

And if we were to meet an alien from, say, Star Trek, that would be a non-human person, wouldn't it? Not that the probability of meeting a bipedal, oxygen-breathing humanoid is very high, but a self-aware, intelligent alien would be a person I think.

So a fetus is not yet a person, a brain-dead human is no longer a person, and an unintelligent animal is not a person - I think.

Now, if we were to create self-aware, intelligent machines then I feel the line gets even blurier...

 

[Bill3000]

A person is a mask though which sound can pass.

And nice means "not cutting", white means "shine", be means "to appear", "was" means "to dwell", and "he" means "this". Also, you're wrong. Person means "towards water". Enough with your stupid etymological nonsense.

 

[warpus]

It seems to be a constant question. Just what is a person? Does the human fetus count, or not, or only after a certain point? Do animals count as people? Is a non-human person theoretically possible? What about a non-organic person? And what about brain dead humans? Is their any consistent milestone of personhood, or is the definition going to have to be ad hoc?

This is an outgrowth of the persona thread, since it was kind of getting tumor like over there.

Personally, I'd tend towards personhood for non-fetal, non-brain dead humans in practice, while acknowledging the theoretical possibility (and plausibility) of other forms of people. Animals are sort of a sticky wicket for me however.

What defines as a person depends on the context.

Are we speaking biologically, philisophically, legally, or what?

I doubt you'd be able to come up with an all-encompassing definition.

 

[Defiant47]

How are we defining the former, and are intelligent people more persons than dumb people?

You're aware that sentience just means able to feel senses such as pain, right? Might mean either self-awareness or sapience instead.

My apologies, yes, I meant sapience - self-awareness.

Personhood would not be a percentage, so either you're a person or you're not. If you fulfill the criteria better than another (i.e. intelligent people vs. dumb people), then you're still a person, and they're still a person.

 

[kulade]

Enough with your stupid etymological nonsense.

Someone takes the internet WAY so seriously.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

I do not know how to define "a person" but I know one when I see one.

 

[Earthling]

And nice means "not cutting", white means "shine", be means "to appear", "was" means "to dwell", and "he" means "this". Also, you're wrong. Person means "towards water". Enough with your stupid etymological nonsense.

No, no, just no. It's quite simple. Person is the opposite of perdaughter. Both are somewhat inbetween perchlorides.

 

[Pangur Bán]

It's just a word in the English language, and should remain that. But having taken on an elevated role in conferring moral rights, you can be certain it will be used and exploited by the powerful against the weak in the future.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

No, Nice means stupid or ignorant. (I only use the word when I want to subtly insult someone.) Bright or shining is fine for white. Be to come into existence. Was means to remain. He can mean this for objects of with grammatical gender.


From the meaning of the mask, person came to indicate a role or character. It is not what someone really is, but what one appears to be. "Respect for Persons"as condemned in the bible is practically the opposite of the Kantian use of the term.

Man should really be a gender neutral term, with wer used for the male.




Sentience is not just the ability to experience senses, it is more importantly the ability to form opinions, an essential part of free will. Sapience is just discernment.

 

[Gustave5436]

Sentience is not just the ability to experience senses, it is more importantly the ability to form opinions, an essential part of free will. Sapience is just discernment.

The dictionary definition of sentience is indeed the possession of physical senses (e.g. touch).

Sapience is judgment. The ability to judge one's actions based on their future consequences for oneself. This is not itself consciousness, but it is implied that the sapient intelligence is both sentient and self-aware and therefore, philosophically, a "person," and thus entitled to the same right to self-determination granted to all persons.

A "person" can be anything; biological human, biological non-human, or non-biological AI of either human or extraterrestrial origin. Since it is extremely unlikely for us to encounter an organism from the second category, we need not worry about the human-centric nature of our definition.

 

[aronnax]

A person, as of now, is anyone who is:
1) A member of the Human Race (Homo Sapiens), born or unborn, alive or dead
2) Possesses or once possesses the ability of feeling, intelligence and self-awareness

But in the distribution of People who deserves rights, then there are additional factors to add.