MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu 24 06J STS 006J Bioethics Spring 2009 For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use visit http ocw mit edu terms 24 06 STS 006 Bioethics R04 TA Daniel Hagen Recitation 04 Neonatal Dilemmas and Personal Identity 1 Presentation Kent Huynh on Neonatal Dilemmas 2 The Singer Kuhse argument P1 A human life is more valuable than the life of a cabbage P2 A human life is more valuable than the life of a cabbage only if there is some feature of the human life such that possessing that feature makes a thing more valuable than a thing lacking it C1 There is some such feature P4 The relevant features are consciousness rationality autonomy and self awareness P3 Some human lives lack consciousness rationality autonomy and self awareness C2 Some human lives are more valuable than other human lives i e not all human life is of equal worth The argument is valid If you want to deny the conclusion then you must reject a premise 3 The psychological approach to personal identity thought experiments appendectomy brain download upload brain download upload with body switch In each case do you exit the lab If yes then you accept the psychological approach 4 The animalist approach to personal identity an argument P1 You are a thinking thing P2 There is an organism in your vicinity P3 The organism is a thinking thing P4 There are no other thinking things in your vicinity C You are an organism The argument is valid If you want to deny the conclusion then you must reject a premise To accept the conclusion is to accept the animalist approach If you accept the animalist approach you must reject the psychological approach If you accept the psychological approach you must reject the animalist approach 1
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