Society and Personhood

Anacephalics are humans who are born without the later-evolved, cognitive functioning parts of their brains. This includes the cerebrum and cerebral cortex, which does all your thinking and emotional responding. Anacephalics are completely incapable of any of the actions or interactions that make persons things we should care about.

I want you to think about why retarded humans, and humans without any cognitive functions such as coma victims and anacephalics are thought of and treated as people. Are such "technical non-persons" looked upon as people because they fit a logically justifed definition of "person," or for moral, social or historical reasons?

Do we have moral reasons to treat technically non-person humans as persons? Would it be morally wrong to treat a technical non-person as a non-person? If so, why? And who would be wronged or harmed by such an action? If not, why not? And do we have any moral reasons not to treat technical non-persons as persons?

Are there any social reasons why we should treat technically non-person humans as persons? Would treating them as non-persons cause any social problems? If so, what exactly would those problems be? Is preventing those problems enough to justify treating technically non-person humans as persons? Or is there some reason why we should quit treating technically non-person humans as persons and accept the social problems that follow?

Do we treat technically non-person humans as persons out of habit? Is it just because we somehow got into that way of treatin them without rationally thinking about whether we really should or shouldn't do it?

Overall, why do we treat technically non-person humans as persons?

Overall, should we treat technically non-person humans as persons?

You can try to create a coherent essay on this topic, or you can ramble over a series of disconnected random thoughts. Either is fine so long as you take the time to explain your reasons once in a while. You are graded on the quality of your thinking, which includes your ability to generate insightful comments as well as your ability to give reasons for what you think. Never hesitate to put down a thought, even if you can't support it at this time. Do what you can as well as you can.

Copyright © 2006 by Martin C. Young

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