Message from @Mr. Nessel

Discord ID: 682007257822920781


2020-02-25 23:27:45 UTC  

Personhood is entirely separate from being alive

2020-02-25 23:27:58 UTC  

Somebody who is braindead is alive

2020-02-25 23:28:13 UTC  

But lacks personhood for the moment

2020-02-25 23:28:23 UTC  

Well you couldn't say "somebody" you'd have to say "something"

2020-02-25 23:28:43 UTC  

A baby can be born and survive outside of the womb earlier than 9 months

2020-02-25 23:29:05 UTC  

In any case if someone is braindead yeah people often revoke their personhood

2020-02-25 23:29:06 UTC  

If a braindead human doesn't ever wake up again you are in essence talking about a corpse

2020-02-25 23:29:16 UTC  

That depends on your values really

2020-02-25 23:29:16 UTC  

So yes it's a thing at that point

2020-02-25 23:29:43 UTC  

Of course I know they sometimes do wake up

2020-02-25 23:30:02 UTC  

But I'm saying if you had perfect knowledge of it

2020-02-25 23:30:03 UTC  

That's just the narcissism of the brain talking

2020-02-25 23:30:11 UTC  

The brain is a very self-obsessed organ

2020-02-25 23:30:43 UTC  

Because it is the most important part of the body

2020-02-25 23:30:50 UTC  

Maybe if you're a liberal :^)

2020-02-25 23:31:15 UTC  

There are many animals who thrive with rudimentary brains and much more important developed organs

2020-02-25 23:32:10 UTC  

Yes but worms do thrive with just a few nerve cells. Do worms posess personhood?

2020-02-25 23:32:15 UTC  

Obviously not

2020-02-25 23:32:51 UTC  

That's because personhood is, god help me, a social construct - we would recognize worm personhood if we socially valued worms or worm* qualities

2020-02-25 23:32:54 UTC  

But we don't

2020-02-25 23:33:21 UTC  

Personhood is not just a social construct

2020-02-25 23:33:37 UTC  

It precedes all social constructs to begin with

2020-02-25 23:33:53 UTC  

We might just be using different definitions

2020-02-25 23:34:06 UTC  

worms are not human

2020-02-25 23:34:09 UTC  

obviously

2020-02-25 23:34:28 UTC  

Right. Worms aren't humans, but presumably Earthworm Jim is a person.

2020-02-25 23:34:31 UTC  

Worms lack a form of higher intelligence and consciousness

2020-02-25 23:34:37 UTC  

I’m the only one with personhood

2020-02-25 23:34:42 UTC  

Personhood might as well be being capable of complex thought, Motor functions etc.

2020-02-25 23:34:42 UTC  

humans have imago dei

2020-02-25 23:34:58 UTC  

I know it's a bit of a wishy washy line

2020-02-25 23:34:58 UTC  

You are all non persons

2020-02-25 23:35:04 UTC  

no

2020-02-25 23:35:27 UTC  

Well if you value higher thought then sure you're motivated to recognize those qualities as the benchmark for personhood because then you can eliminate or suppress those things which run contrary to your values

2020-02-25 23:35:28 UTC  

i know it when i see it

2020-02-25 23:35:37 UTC  

Like killing the braindead to move resources elsewhere

2020-02-25 23:35:46 UTC  

It's entirely predictable behavior

2020-02-25 23:35:58 UTC  

silly philosophical posturing leads people like peter singer to say that you can kill your 2 year old

2020-02-25 23:36:09 UTC  

I'm the only real person here because cogito ergo sum and I'm just a Boltzmann brain speeding through the cosmos

2020-02-25 23:36:55 UTC  

Well the only real difference between killing a 2 year old and a 1 day old is that one makes your tummy hurt/bothers people instinctively

2020-02-25 23:37:04 UTC  

But there's no principled difference