Personhood Flashcards
What is a potential person?
A potential person is someone who might become a person in the future. Some examples of potential people are newborn babies and toddlers.
What is an ex-person?
An ex-person is someone who used to be a person but lost those characteristics. An example of this is someone in a vegetative state, but it brings the question wether a person that got out of a coma, was always a person?
What would you brand someone with a mental illness?
A progressive illness as the ability to take away cognitive abilities, such as memory. Sometimes we label these people as a diminished person. This brings up the question whether memory plays a part in determining what’s a person?
Since being a person depends on the degree on personhood, does it still apply to humans?
If personhood is determined on the degree of it, the non-humans and even machinery can be be measured in the scale of personhood
If we restrict human beings as being people, does to make counting people easier?
No it doesn’t, as one human being may have two or more people in the one body I.e. multiple personality disorder or split brain patients. But does having different conscious entities mean there are multiple people in one body?
What is the key idea of personhood and who backs put this notion?
The key idea of personhood is having self-ware thoughts, so “I-thoughts”. Philosophers John Locke and Peter Singer back this notion.
What is a person?
A person is hard to define as there are specific characteristics that make up a person. This brings up the question if humans are people? can someone be a person to a degree? and is there a problem when counting people?
What did Jean-Paul Sartre say was the key aspect of personhood?
He said the key aspect was self-creation. Which means the choices we make help define our individuality, which is why someone with a psychological problem is considered a dismissed person
What’s the problem with having autonomy (making choices) the key aspect of personhood?
If autonomy is considered the key aspect of personhood, then non-humans and diminished people can’t be considered a full person as while we have desires, humans have desires and desires about what desires to have. According to Mill, it is better to be a human being.
What other influence is required to be a person?
You would need contact with other people to be considered a person. For we make decisions depending on what others think. Aristotle says having friends helps a person live
How is language key to personhood?
Language helps us identifying ourself, others and expression of thought. Language also helps shape our thoughts.
What is the problem with the criteria of being a person and who finds an objection to the problem?
The problem with the criteria is that it seems to portray the idea that being a person means being human. Singer objects to this by saying it is a form of speciesism to non-humans.
Can personhood be considered a property?
Personhood can be considered a particular property as personhood isn’t considered a right (I.e. Human rights) but this statement does has it flaws as personhood as there isn’t one particular property that defines personhood. It is made up of many features and property’s that resemble it.
What is essential to the concept of person to some philosophers?
Some philosophers believe the key to the concept of personhood is having a conscious experience.
Why is anthropomorphism a major problem in giving non-humans the label of person?
It is a major problem because anthropomorphism gives human characteristics to a non-human in order to be more relatable. This can be done unknowingly and can affect the judgement of an non-human being a person.
