Political Crossfire Forums

[Sailor Moon]

jlrobe wrote: Sailor Moon wrote:
Quote: One day old zygotes are not sentient, okay? Saying that they are is a joke, you would suffer a lot of ridicule if you ever tred to convince a biologist that day-old zygotes(which lack a brain) are sentient.

Funny, we used to think newborn babies were not sentient.. alot has changed.

What makes you so sure of that which you cannot measure? Youd be taking a giant leap of faith to say that you know where sentience comes from. Like I said before, it does not just magically arise. Everything is in place from the moment of conception. Everything DEVELOPS.

Youre arguing evolution. Well, sorry but no lightning hit my belly, and magically caused my son to have instant access to something that was not there before.

So... where does sentience develop from? After all, we know from simple logic that the entire process of gestation is purely developmental. So.. tell me.. where does sentience develop from? And if it DOESNT start developing from day one, then explain, in detail, when exactly sentience starts to develop, and how exactly it magically comes to be?

We didnt always think pigs were sentient too, but they are... just because you dont want to believe it, doesnt make it illogical.

The discussion of sentience is interesting. How about a person that suffers severe brain damage and has been on life support for 15 years and has almost zero brain activity. The person still reacts to stimuli, but it has lost conciouness and cognition. Is the person still alive? Is the person still sentient? Should we kill the person even though they are possibly not sentient?

We are discussing the beginning of sentience, not the ending of it. Yes it is okay to kill someone who is already dead. Life support is just death support, in the real world.
Quote:
Scientist have never been able to describe conciouness of living organisms. Acids and proteins cant think, yet they make up cells. Cells cant think, yet they form your brain. Why is it that a cell by itself cannot think, but a collection of them can. Why is it that proteins and acids are completely governed and predicted by laws of chemistry and physics yet we are not. Science cannot answer these questions yet.

Scientists have never been able to describe it because they are unable to perceive it, and therefore unable to measure it. Ever heard of relativity? Well, of course you have (after seeing the next portions of your post, I can tell)! Cool.

Quote: I have to guess that sientience (i hate using the word) forms from the get go, but I cant prove it. I cant prove that a zygot is any more alive than my liver, since both possess human cells. I can prove that a zygot does bcome a fully functional being (sientient) eventually, but I cant describe the whole science of conciousness, free thinking, or free will.

Thank you. It takes an open mind to admit that (relative) sentience is probable in embryos.

Quote: I will say this. The concept of cognition is on a sliding scale, not an absolute one. I think humans possess the most cognition out of any being on the planet. A human's congnitive ability may begin at the zygot stage and improve all the way through the mid-twenties, but I dont know that for sure.

Over my last two posts, I have posted what I know. I have more questions than answers.

Good. Just think about relativity for a little while, and it will probably stick. BTW, I love having you here.. youre a real breath of fresh air!