Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!decwrl!ucbvax!apteryx From: apteryx@ucbvax.ARPA (Brian Peterson) Newsgroups: net.abortion Subject: important distinction Message-ID: <9754@ucbvax.ARPA> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 01:47:47 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9754 Posted: Thu Aug 8 01:47:47 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 06:34:36 EDT Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 71 Keywords: life metabolism personality In the English language, words can have more than one meaning. When the particular meaning implied is not clear, and the topic is rather emotional or controversial, there are problems. The case in point is the word "life" (and similarly, "human"). One meaning of "life" is similar to "metabolism". It has to do with organs, cells, biochemical processes, instincts, reflexes, reproduction, etc. All plants, animals, and miscellaneous sludge have this kind of life. Members of the species homo-sapiens, at all stages of development including embryos and fetuses, have this kind of life. A second meaning of "life" is the set or continuum of experiences that a creature with intelligence and emotions (etc.) has while it exists. A "creature" having this kind of life might conceivably not have the first kind (C3PO, HAL, etc). The point of these examples is not to prove that such a case exists, ("life" of the second meaning existing independently from the first sense), but that one can concieve of the second kind of "life" independently from the first kind. The abortion debate might be interpreted as attempts to determine which of the two kinds of life an unborn homo-sapiens has, combined with attempts to decide how important the two kinds of life are. (This covers debates concerned purely with the qualities of the fetus or embryo in question. It does not cover arguments concerned with the effects on the aborters. It also does not deal with the "I'm glad I wasn't aborted" argument, which I feel is bogus.) Now for my personal stand: I feel that it is "life" of the second meaning that is truly >important<, when applied to homo-sapiens. "Life" of the first meaning is not important, rather it is >necessary<, somewhat as paying the rent and buying groceries is necessary. Life of the second kind depends on life of the first kind for existence. (When your body gets killed, the life you are living gets messed up. Either there might not be "afterlife", or one might not want to proceed there right away for various reasons :-) Life of the first kind does not imply life of the second kind. (Do "lesser" creatures, such as protozoans, "experience" there life, or are they just chemical factories? Where to draw the line between lower and higher creatures is a hard question.) I feel that the second kind of life is not present until the first weeks or so (not exactly sure) after birth in homo-sapiens. (I also feel that other species, such as the gorilla and chimpanzee, have this second kind of life.) Thus, abortion is not very bad, since there doesn't even exist a life of the second type in the creature being aborted. Prohibiting abortion is bad, becuase it interferes with someone's life (second kind). Other people might place different values on the two meanings of life I described here, or they might feel that a fetus has more experiences and feelings and concept of its environment than I. Someone might even think that the whole issue in this article is irrelevant. To reconcile differences, we need to find what assumptions differ, and determine a method to find which match reality. (Maybe look up psychological tests about when babies seem to recognize people (particular or general), what kind of emotional responses they give how soon in development, etc). Then we need to find where values differ, given the same "facts" (assumptions) for both sides. What to do with differing values is a harder problem.... Is anyone out there interested in my distinction between the two definitions of "life" and how they relate to the abortion issue? Brian Peterson ... !ucbvax!apteryx