What is a Human Being?

[Mr Skeptic]

The objective is to build up an intensional definition of "human being" while avoiding the various fallacies of definition. An intensional definition is a form of definition that describes something as belonging to a set by giving the necessary and sufficient conditions for membership. I will assume based on past experience that no one has a complete definition of "human being" that doesn't depend on similarly poorly defined terms.

 

As such, the objective of this thread is to find necessary conditions to be a human being, while occasionally checking whether they are sufficient (or perhaps overly restrictive). Feel free to propose what you believe to be necessary conditions to be a human being, or alternately, point out where suggested conditions are overly restrictive or overly inclusive. Specific examples will be appreciated in any case. Later we might want to make a poll.

 

Which of these are exactly one individual human being (or its legal or moral equivalent), and why might you think so/not? Can you make a set of requirements to include all the below you think is, but exclude those that are not?:

An egg and sperm, before fusing?

A fertilized human egg, naturally conceived?

A fertilized human egg, artificially inseminated inside a woman?

A fertilized human egg, artificially fertilized in a petri dish then implanted?

The above, after some development?

A human produced via cloning?

 

How many humans are these?:

A single fertilized human egg?

Identical twins naturally derived from a single egg?

Identical twins artificially (by intentionally separating cells shortly after they start dividing) derived from a single egg?

Siamese (cojoined) twins, sharing the same organs?

Siamese (cojoined) twins, with their own organs?

A human chimera, produced naturally with two eggs and two sperm of the same parents?

A human chimera, produced artificially with two eggs and two sperm of the same parents?

A human chimera, produced naturally with two eggs from the same mother and two sperm from different fathers?

A human chimera, produced artificially with two eggs from the same mother and two sperm from different fathers?

A human chimera, produced artificially with two eggs and two sperm of different parents?

A human chimera, produced as a transplant recipient from another human?

A human and that human's clone.

 

A human/animal chimera, with mostly animal cells?

A human/animal chimera, with mostly human cells?

A human/animal chimera, of humanoid shape, sentient, but low mental abilities?

A human/animal chimera, of humanoid shape and mental abilities like an adult human?

A human/animal chimera, with animal shape, sentient, but low mental abilities?

A human/animal chimera, with animal shape but mental abilities like an adult human?

A human/animal chimera, produced via organ transplant from the human to the animal?

A human/animal chimera, produced via organ transplant to the human?

A human/animal chimera, produced via brain transplant from the human to the animal?

A human/animal chimera, produced via brain transplant from the animal to the human?

A human containing animal proteins (such as bovine growth hormone)?

A human, 90% of who's cells are bacterial?

 

A human embryo with no brain?

A human embryo with a brain, but not consciousness?

A human embryo just before birth (with normal development)?

An infant born but still requiring life support?

An infant born but still dependent on others to feed it?

An adult human on life support, with a high chance of recovery?

An adult human on life support, with a low/no chance of recovery?

An adult human with no cerebral cortex, but not requiring life support?

A dead adult human?

An unconscious (eg sleeping) adult human?

A frozen, but revivable adult human?

A long dead adult human mummy, assuming future technology can revive it?

An adult human missing certain organs such as the heart?

A human skin cell?

A puppy?

 

Feel free to come up with definition, or partial definitions, to include/exclude the listed items that do/don't belong, or to suggest more items for the list.

[waitforufo]

Perhaps a personal example of Human Being.

 

I am a human. My state of being began at my conception and will end when my body stops exhibiting what doctors call vital signs. I assume those vital signs will cease soon after my heart stops beating, but with continued medical progress who knows. During this time of being it has not and may not always appear that anyone is home. I want to thank those that have looked after me during such times. I would particularly like to thank my mother. I would also like to thank those in the future who look after me during such times. I would appreciate it if you did not write on my face with permanent markers during my absence. There may come a time when it is obvious that I’m gone for good. If that occurs, please feel free to use any of my organs, tissues, and fluids to the benefit of others human beings. Whatever is left over please dispose of in a respectful and sanitary way. If you do this for me, I promise to treat you in the same way