Monday, February 25, 2008

Objectively defining personhood (discussion w/ liz)

This entry is truncated. Click on readmore to read the full entry

Here’s an interesting discussion I had with liz. I was having a formal debate on the realm of thought and the thesis was “Is animal experimentation justifiable”. I was against animal experimentation and my opponent was for it. My opponent (ischaramoochie) brought up the subject of "personhood" to justify why it is less moral to do experimentation on humans than on animals

In the conversation below, liz and I discussed the debate, the issue of animal experimentation and the difficulty of defining "personhood"

I eventually conceded the formal debate because I felt that my position didn’t give me enough space to maneuver and I was up against a really good debater who had a position that’s a bit easier to defend

It’s a bit long but if you’re into the habit of prying into other people’s conversations, you might find this interesting

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 11:59:14 AM): im reading the debate

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 11:59:17 AM): ahh

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 11:59:22 AM): wait wait

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 11:59:23 AM): what's your position on the issue

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 11:59:25 AM): k

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:03:25 PM): im for animal testing

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:03:35 PM): but i havent researched on it or anything

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:03:41 PM): and what would be your rationale for it

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:03:51 PM): I'm actually for animal testing as well

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:03:52 PM): anyway, fyour opponent has set up a pretty good argument

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:04:07 PM): ive guessed that

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:04:18 PM): why are you for animal testing

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:04:22 PM): did you expect him to limit animal testing to endangered species?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:04:28 PM): no

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:04:48 PM): no, i cant argue with you right now, because im not well-versed on it

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:04:49 PM): at first the agreement was that the debate was just gonna be about animal testing

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:04:51 PM): in general

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:04:55 PM): ahh

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:05:03 PM): are you fishing

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:05:15 PM): but you're smart miss lanuzo

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:05:23 PM): no no

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:06:09 PM): being smart doesnt mean one knows everything, and in this case i dont want to argue for something i only know vaguely og

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:06:17 PM): of

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:06:17 PM): a valid point

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:06:20 PM): but lets discuss your debate

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:06:23 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:06:30 PM): what do you think of my performance

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:06:36 PM): how will you rebut him?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:06:40 PM): his position is difficult to attack

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:07:08 PM): I mean if animal testing doesn't involve suffering there really is no issue

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:07:22 PM): oh, but there is

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:07:31 PM): the moral angle to it

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:07:34 PM): I know

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:07:35 PM): but of course you cant bring that in

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:07:40 PM): that's what I'm trying to expoit

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:07:47 PM): also some holes in his arguments

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:07:59 PM): like?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:08:24 PM): I asked him what defines personhood

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:08:45 PM): and what makes human life objectively more valuable than animal life

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:08:56 PM): his answer was

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:09:48 PM): Persons are protected by rights against being used as means to an end, but non-persons are not entitled to these rights.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:09:54 PM): there

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:10:00 PM): thats what h said

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:10:12 PM): wait let me read his arguments again

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:11:13 PM): how would you define a person

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:11:21 PM): there was a debate about that before in pex

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:11:42 PM): he or she would have reason

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:11:58 PM): and emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:12:04 PM): what if it were proven that some animals have reason and emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:12:09 PM): would that make them persons?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:12:24 PM): what IF

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:12:53 PM): have you heard of a disability that renders some people literally incapable of emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:13:08 PM): and people with mental retardation...

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:13:08 PM): something of that sort, yes

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:13:24 PM): are they less human then everybody else?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:13:57 PM): I mean if we're gonna gauge humanity by higher cognitive preoesses like the ones you mentioned

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:14:12 PM): then a lot of "persons" cannot be considered as persons

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:14:19 PM): but that's a simple generalizations

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:14:28 PM): no one

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:14:48 PM): can define people by reason and emotions, not only that---there are other categories to satisfy

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:14:56 PM): like what

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:15:32 PM): genetic make-up

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:15:34 PM): aha

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:15:39 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:15:52 PM): would you say that a human skin is human

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:15:53 PM): ?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:16:11 PM): ^human skin cell

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:16:21 PM): would you say that a human skin cell is human?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:16:23 PM): no, if it doesnt cover a human being

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:16:45 PM): but human skin cells have human DNA and therefore genetically human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:16:58 PM): but does it have reason and emotions?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:17:31 PM): so you define humanity as a genetically human organism wth reason and emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:17:37 PM): do you believe in abortion?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:18:07 PM): dont get me into that. do you?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:18:19 PM): it's related

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:18:35 PM): i know

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:18:35 PM): so do you?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:18:47 PM): ill answer

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:18:49 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:18:50 PM): i do believe in abortion

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:18:53 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:19:15 PM): ok?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:19:25 PM): I do but only before higher cognitive functions are detected

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:19:41 PM): I have a question

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:19:51 PM): you define humanity as a genetically human organism wth reason and emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:19:55 PM): yes?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:20:24 PM): there may be other categories i cannot name as of the moment

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:20:35 PM): so i wouldnt say thats a strict definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:20:38 PM): let's concentrate on those two for the moment

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:21:07 PM): but do bear in mind that those are not my strict definitions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:21:22 PM): may i know your strict definitions then

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:21:46 PM): okay, thats not a properly relayed statement

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:21:53 PM): cause if we're gonna define humanity by his biological make up

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:21:57 PM): yes, thats my definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:21:59 PM): we're gonna run into problems

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:22:09 PM): like cells would also satisfy that definition

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:22:21 PM): but not the strict definition, ie, its not the ONLY one

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:22:27 PM): but theres an 'and'

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:22:32 PM): I know let's just explore the problem

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:22:36 PM): has reasons and emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:22:50 PM): if we're gonna define humanity by higher cognitive functions like reason and intelligence

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:22:59 PM): we will again run into problems

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:23:11 PM): wait

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:23:17 PM): if we define humanity

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:23:43 PM): if we define a human organism as one that has a biological make up and higher cognitive functions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:23:51 PM): we still run into the same problem

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:24:11 PM): some biologically human organisms

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:24:13 PM): like?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:24:49 PM): have limited cognitive abilities

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:24:54 PM): that would therefore

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:02 PM): nullify the "and" condition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:23 PM): wait

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:25:25 PM): so

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:25:25 PM): lets change it to

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:25:25 PM): 'or'

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:31 PM): or

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:32 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:25:39 PM): or

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:45 PM): still the same problem as above

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:46 PM):

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:25:53 PM): no

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:25:54 PM): a cell would still be considered human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:26:26 PM): okay, let's rehash the statment

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:26:29 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:26:32 PM): let's do that

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:26:35 PM): biological mak-up

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:26:35 PM): reason

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:26:40 PM): emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:26:44 PM): that's the three

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:27:24 PM): a human organism has the genetic make-up of one AND has reasons OR emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:27:39 PM): what do you mean by "of one"

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:27:55 PM): well, the genetic make-up of a human being

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:28:03 PM): ahh

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:28:20 PM): that's still the same definition isn't it

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:29:07 PM): petitio principii, but its just the construction of the statement

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:29:11 PM): a human being may satisfy the biological make up of a human being but may lack reasoning and emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:29:44 PM): we assume that the genetic make-up of the homo sapiens is established

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:29:55 PM): as unique to the species

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:30:10 PM): it is unique to the species

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:30:47 PM): so what i meant by 'of one', using incorrect words, was on the assumption that the genetic-mak-up is yes, unique to us

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:31:12 PM): you mean you unique to an individual?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:31:27 PM): unique to the species

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:31:38 PM): it is unique to the species

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:31:56 PM): human DNA is human DNA

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:31:59 PM): let me just rehash the definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:32:02 PM): cells though also have human DNA

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:32:02 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:32:18 PM): human cells that is

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:32:40 PM): a human being possesses the genetic make-up of the species and has reasoning or emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:32:50 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:32:54 PM): what did you change?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:32:58 PM): you remember you logic subject, of course

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:33:09 PM): the 'of one'

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:33:15 PM): ?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:33:16 PM): its an error

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:33:39 PM): isn't that the same definition?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:34:26 PM): it is, but iv removed the misleading phraset which would make me guilty of petitio principii

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:34:38 PM): but isn't it a problematic definition

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:34:39 PM): lets move on

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:35:10 PM): coz some people are genetically human but lack reasoning and emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:35:25 PM): kaya nga

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:35:31 PM): you remember your Logic subject, of course

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:35:37 PM): of course I do

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:35:50 PM): so

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:35:54 PM): there

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:36:07 PM): let me re rephrase that

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:36:11 PM): coz some people are genetically human but lack reasoning and/or emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:36:32 PM):

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:36:49 PM): AND connective---if there's one false, fals na lahat

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:37:06 PM): OR connective---if theres one true, true na yung statement

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:37:11 PM): that's what i'm trying to say

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:37:21 PM): So

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:37:33 PM): if the genetic make-up is TRUE

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:37:56 PM): but there reasong is FALSE and so are the emotions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:38:21 PM): then according to the AND connective, the statent, or what is human, ends up as FALSE

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:38:25 PM): so people who lack reasoning and emotions are not human?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:39:22 PM): by your definition severely mentally handicapped people are not human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:40:35 PM): so people who lack R and E are not human---yes, for the skin cells and the DNA and the zygote

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:40:41 PM): as for the mentally handicapped people

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:40:46 PM): ...

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:40:50 PM): enters the other criteria

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:40:57 PM): which we havent discussed

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:41:04 PM): and what are those criteria

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:41:33 PM): wait you are for the experimentation of chimps right?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:41:39 PM): i was hoping you can name them

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:41:44 PM): me?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:42:32 PM): I had an argument with an evangilist before

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:42:38 PM): about how to define a human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:42:45 PM): your thrust, it seems

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:42:54 PM): is simply criticizing my arguments

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:43:04 PM): i suggest you give yours

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:43:20 PM): no I'm trying to point out that it's difficult to objectively define a human being

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:44:35 PM): i know. that's why i told you that i have no strict definitions, per se, only a vageuly general one

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:44:46 PM): well anyway on with my story

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:44:59 PM): haha, okay

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:45:15 PM): the evanglist first defined a "human being" as an organism with human DNA

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:45:35 PM): but I've already pointed out the problem with that definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:46:02 PM): w8

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:46:10 PM): I'll just copy paste

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:48:16 PM): can't find the thread anymore

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:48:25 PM): anyway if I remember correctly

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:48:31 PM): He next defined a human being as a collection of cells bearing the same unique genetic identity.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:48:42 PM): with that definition a cell is no longer human on its own

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:49:15 PM): but twins share the same genetic identity but they're considered as two human beings

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:49:17 PM): still there?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:49:32 PM): yes

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:49:38 PM): and so?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:50:18 PM): He next defined a human being as a collection of cells bearing the same genetic identity contained in a collection of body parts that define the human form.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:50:29 PM): head, torso, limbs

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:50:41 PM): okay

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:50:45 PM): but that would be a problematic definition for people with missing appendages

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:51:12 PM): anyway the point is

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:51:13 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:51:34 PM): it's difficult to define a human being biologically

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:51:58 PM): so your definition of biology and cognitive abilities

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:52:14 PM): is problematic since it's difficult to define the former

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:52:43 PM): and that's where refinement comes in

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:52:48 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:52:57 PM): it's a very general definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:53:09 PM): what would be your more refined definition

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:53:14 PM): do you have classes already btw

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:53:32 PM): i would imagine subcategories under 'genetic make-up' and 'reason' and 'emotions' stretching under it

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:53:42 PM): yep. may pasok na ko

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:54:08 PM): I would like to know those subcategories

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:54:23 PM): so do i

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:54:34 PM): theyre as yet beyond me, though

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:54:48 PM): see

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:54:51 PM): that's the agnostic attitude

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:54:53 PM): so my point still stands

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:55:07 PM): that?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:55:11 PM): it's dfficult to define a human organism

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:55:22 PM): I mean a human being

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:55:38 PM): did i say its not?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:55:47 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:56:05 PM): I'd say it's near impossible

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:56:13 PM): without running into contradictions

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:56:29 PM): i agree.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:56:37 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:56:41 PM): on to my next point

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:56:56 PM): say it's 2090AD

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:57:14 PM): and we've already discovered how to perfectly replicate human consciousness

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:57:22 PM): in a machine

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:57:33 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:57:34 PM): say the consciousness possesses reasoning and emotions

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:57:55 PM): would you say that that machine deserves rights

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:58:01 PM): and

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:58:14 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:58:19 PM): what?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:58:25 PM): that's not hte point yet

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:58:30 PM): baby steps baby steps

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:58:30 PM): have you ever read the positronic man?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:58:37 PM): or watched the movie

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:58:42 PM): not yet

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:58:58 PM): the bicentennial man with robbie williams

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:58:59 PM): all my points are interconnected

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:59:04 PM): ahh yes

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:59:05 PM): that one

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:59:15 PM): so?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:59:15 PM): that one

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:59:37 PM): he was given rights in the end

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:59:41 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 12:59:53 PM): after years and years of arguing in the courts

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 12:59:57 PM): and what's your opinion on that

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:00:01 PM): about what is human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:00:08 PM): the same argument we are having now

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:00:13 PM): whether consciousness alone

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:00:37 PM): whether the possession of consciousness alone affords someone rights

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:00:52 PM): without the biological make up

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:02:45 PM): your argument rests on the fact that in the future we MAY know how to replicate human consciousness

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:02:51 PM): yes

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:02:55 PM): but we may also not

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:03:03 PM): it's irrrelevant if we do or not

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:03:16 PM): oh, but it is

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:03:45 PM): the point is do you believe that a non-biologically human entity that has consciouness deserves rights

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:04:22 PM): im not willing to argue on suppositions, because in the mean time, when humanity is not yet capable of it, the point you are trying to make is irrelevant

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:04:33 PM): it isn't

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:04:44 PM): it;s the conncept that I'm trying to argue

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:04:45 PM): fallacy of the future

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:04:51 PM): not the feasibility of the case

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:05:16 PM): but im not willing to argue on the concept if its not feasible

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:05:36 PM): and as of now it isnt

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:05:36 PM): jjust answer the quesiton will ya

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:05:37 PM): do you believe that a non-biologically human entity that has consciouness deserves rights

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:05:45 PM): whether that's a machine

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:05:55 PM): an alien entity etc

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:07:12 PM): would the machine have values? ethics? will the machine be able to love and hate?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:07:17 PM): as for the alien

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:07:29 PM): let's say it has the capacity for love and hate

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:07:49 PM): values and ethics?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:07:54 PM): sure

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:07:54 PM): morals?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:07:55 PM): why not

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:07:57 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:08:06 PM): yes let;s say it has morals

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:08:14 PM): does it deserve rights

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:08:29 PM): free will?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:08:37 PM): do we have free will?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:08:51 PM): ok it has free will by the general definition

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:08:55 PM): as we know it

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:09:31 PM): bear with me for the moment

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:09:33 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:11:09 PM): the point you are trying to make is this: my definition is wrong, not just generally and vaguely and ambiguously correct, in the argument you are putting forward now

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:11:11 PM): but

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:12:09 PM): still, your concept is not feasible, and i am not willing to answr your question based on a supposition that a machine can have human cognitive abilities

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:12:30 PM): I'm trying to argue that it is consciousness that pay respect to and that we afford rights to whether that consciouness is contained in a biologically human organism or not

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:12:46 PM): I'm trying to argue that it is consciousness that we pay respect to and that we afford rights to whether that consciouness is contained in a biologically human organism or not

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:12:50 PM): yes, i understand that.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:13:15 PM): a biologically human organism without consciousness is just meat

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:13:32 PM): but where's the relevance? it is not possible now, not in the near future.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:13:37 PM): a consciousness without a biologicaly human body still is human and deserves rights

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:13:56 PM): should I go to my next point now

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:13:57 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:14:34 PM): have you heard about studies on chimps

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:14:51 PM): not much

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:15:08 PM): you should watch national geographic

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:15:28 PM): nah, i dont watch tv too much

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:15:42 PM): dude you should sometime

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:15:50 PM): you;'ll learn stuff

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:16:09 PM): one higher apes posses self awarenes

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:16:09 PM): s

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:16:38 PM): they posses significant cognitive abilities

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:17:13 PM): what else

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:17:22 PM): do you agree with experimentation on chimps btw

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:17:50 PM): im not well-versed on the subject

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:17:56 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:18:04 PM): but chimps are convered in the debate

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:18:22 PM): my debate with ischaramoochie

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:18:39 PM): yes. teka.

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:18:40 PM): eto

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:18:40 PM): That's what I'll try to concentrate on

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:18:56 PM): teka lang

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:18:56 PM): uh

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:19:15 PM): uh?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:19:47 PM): alam mo, my definition, in light of your argument---

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:19:54 PM): ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:20:06 PM): connectives. they must be fixed.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:20:16 PM): what do you mean

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:20:22 PM): AND OR IF IF AND ONLY IF

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:20:42 PM): i'll think about it.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:20:54 PM): could you complete the sentence

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:21:06 PM): ___AND OR IFAND ONLY IF____

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:21:59 PM): in light of your argument regarding consciousness, i think the definition i gave you still has hope of being true, if only generally and vaguely

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:22:05 PM): ok

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:22:08 PM):

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:22:22 PM): bah, go on

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:22:37 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:23:31 PM): you have no position on experimentation on chimps because you don't know enough about them right?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:24:28 PM): but if they are self aware, intellectually and emotionally complex (which they probably are) would you agree with experimentation on them

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:25:47 PM): you will know they are self-aware, intellectually and emotionally complex by experimenting on them

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:25:54 PM): and your debate partner

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:26:16 PM): what kind of experimenation are we talking about here/

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:26:24 PM): well not the sort of experimentation that my debate partner described

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:26:46 PM): which involves killing

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:26:47 PM): so there's your problem

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:27:08 PM): Those are the only points where you can attack him

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:27:14 PM): his position covers higher apes

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:27:26 PM): and his position involves the termination of life

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:27:59 PM): let me trace this

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:28:02 PM): you can't really argue against experimetation if there is no suffering or loss of life involved

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:28:23 PM): we were debating about the definition of what is human

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:28:29 PM): yup

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:28:39 PM): that is connected to animal experimentation

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:28:46 PM): and then you moved on to detaching consciousness from the human genetic make-up

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:28:49 PM): and now

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:29:19 PM): ...

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:29:44 PM): you are trying to assert that since chimps also have cognitive abilities, they have rights like humans?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:29:51 PM): hmm

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:29:54 PM): that is the qiuestion isn't it

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:29:59 PM): equal to are lesser than?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:30:23 PM): are you asking for my real position or my debate position

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:30:45 PM): your debate position

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:30:50 PM): hmm

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:31:30 PM): just read the debate thread

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:31:41 PM): you'll see my position there eventually

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:32:05 PM): if i may say

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:32:07 PM): I didn't outline my position right away did I

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:32:17 PM): you have good points

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:32:23 PM): of course

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:32:46 PM): but the problem with them is that while it is hard to define what is human, it is easier to define what is animal

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:33:02 PM): but humans are also animals

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:33:20 PM): I agree but how would you define an animal

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:33:24 PM): but animlas are not human

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:33:46 PM): from a collective standpoint it's easier to define animals I think

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:34:09 PM): humans are also animals, but animals are not human

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:34:15 PM): so there

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:34:27 PM): your example kanina, the one that's feasible

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:34:32 PM): is it because of what man has achieved?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:34:33 PM): NOT feasible i mean

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:34:36 PM): technology etc

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:34:45 PM): teka lang

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:35:51 PM): your example kanina, it's not feasible, but not totally impossible. a machine with human morals, values, ethics, human emotions such as love and hate

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:36:02 PM): but animals?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:36:06 PM): they may eventually evolve

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:36:06 PM): but

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:36:09 PM): ?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:36:21 PM): like i told you kanina, that point is irrelevant to your debate

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:36:31 PM): which point

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:36:46 PM): we are talking about NOW

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:36:50 PM): that it's consciousness that defines humanity?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:36:54 PM): not the biological make up

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:37:02 PM): yes.

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:37:07 PM): no

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:37:07 PM): mali mali

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:37:15 PM): what's mali

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:37:42 PM): yes, consciousness defines humanity, but youd be hard-pressed to prove that such consciousness exists within the chimps

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:37:47 PM): not now anyway

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:37:48 PM): it won't make the case for any side but it's raises issues that I may exploit later

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:37:58 PM): but there's hard evidence

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:38:11 PM): that chimps have consciousness

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:38:33 PM): such as humans, which may in turn earn them rights?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:39:17 PM): biut there is hard evidence that reasonably supports the conclusion that chimps have consciousness

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:40:11 PM): okay, that's given

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:40:24 PM): but such consciousness wont be anywhere near the human kind, would it?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:40:28 PM): aha

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:41:04 PM): psychological tests also support the conclusion that chimp intelligence is AT LEAST equivalent to that of young chilren

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:42:21 PM): chimp intelligence, how about chimp emotions? chimp morals and values and ethics?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:42:30 PM): what are morals miss liz

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:42:33 PM): would they also be equivalent to young children?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:42:40 PM): what are ethics?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:43:17 PM): a believer may argue that morals are god given gifts that are unique to humans

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:43:25 PM): but we're not believers are we?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:43:45 PM): an evolutionist would probably look at morals as

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:43:53 PM): morals are the absolute and over-reaching standard among human beings

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:44:08 PM): no need for religious overtones

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:44:21 PM): you agree not to kill people---that's a moral

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:44:25 PM): an evolutionist would probably look at morals as qualities we evolved for the preservation of our species

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:44:51 PM): qualities that would be destructive to society would be detrimental to the cause of the species

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:44:57 PM): yes. but such morals would still be unique only to humans, and not to chimps would it?

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:45:02 PM): therefore evolution would try to weed out such qualoities

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:45:51 PM): chimps have complex societies

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:45:53 PM): thats far from the point

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:46:37 PM): the average chimp would not kill an individual within its social group

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:46:51 PM): wait

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:47:20 PM): emotions are more difficult to quantify than intellect

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:48:04 PM): sorry gor disconnected

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:48:07 PM): and/

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:48:15 PM): what was my last message

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:48:24 PM): thats ok

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:48:38 PM): chimps have complex societies

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:48:56 PM): dude, your ym is screwed

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:49:00 PM): it is

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:49:19 PM): am I invisible there?

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:49:34 PM): nope

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:50:07 PM): emotions are more difficult to quantify than intellect

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:50:30 PM): but chimps have shown emotions such as guilt, empathy etc

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:51:00 PM): besides I don't view morality as a byproduct of higher intellect

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:51:15 PM): i dont either.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:51:27 PM): I think of it as an ensurance by evolution so that we would not kill each other

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:52:04 PM): but what im trying to say is that while chimps may have such cognitive functions, there are not of the human kind.

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:52:15 PM): hmm

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:52:36 PM): liz do you have classes already

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:52:46 PM): I do

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:52:48 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:52:58 PM): this has been a most interesting conversation miss liz

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:53:18 PM): and so it has.

lizette lanuzo (1/10/2007 1:53:25 PM):

Jonathan Davis (1/10/2007 1:53:25 PM): we will continue this later

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

Differentiating between order and design (debate exceprts)

THis was a debate i had with an information scientist (trypho) THe debate was first about entropy and then it moved to how to mathematically differentiate between order and design. : link to the thread is here. (You need to register to view the thread)

here was my first rebuttal:

I think there’s a bit of confusion here since the definition of entropy can vary from field to field. To address some people’s claims that entropy is proof against evolution, First I’d like to point that information entropy and thermodynamic entropy are two different things. Second I would like to point that the second law of thermodynamics is one of the most misquoted of the physical laws.
The second law makes no claims that “disorder” is the natural state of things. Entropy is not equivalent to disorder. Furthermore, people who claim that things naturally “disorganize” themselves obviously haven’t being observing the world around them. Put oil and water in a container and they naturally separate themselves. You mix one compound with another compound you get another compound. And the new compound shouldn’t naturally deconstruct overtime. It would remain as it is until another chemical reaction breaks the it. …order though is different from design.


a.)
/ / / /
/ / / /
/ / / /
b.)
- -//\\ - - ll\\ - - //ll
- //__\\ - ll \\ - // -ll
//- - - \\ -ll -\\// - ll
We know that letter a is ordered since the characters are laid out in a predictable pattern. Such patterns occur naturally. Letter b however seems designed. Most often we perceive something as designed if it conveys meaning. To someone who can’t read roman alphabets, letter b is just an ordered collection of characters arranged in straight lines and diagonals. To us however we know it reads AM and therefore there is a high probability that it was purposely arranged that way. Unfortunately some people extend this interpretation of meaning to objects that have no objective meaning –they look at the sunset and they see some sort of higher purpose or something like that. And then god enters the picture


Nobody is arguing against the complexity of DNA.
trypho you took IT, you probably know that it’s extremely improbable to generate even a simple working program by randomly generating characters. Analogously it’s also near-impossible to generate a complete DNA string by chance alone (at least with our current understanding of how things work). However if instead of single characters we generate random words then your chances improve a bit. And if instead of single words you generate chunks of code then your chances improve even more.
I’m not making specific suggestions on how DNA could have formed I’m merely stating what evolution has been suggesting ever since it was first introduced but seems to just be flying over the heads of lesser theists. Complex things gradually arise from more and more simple things. Nobody is saying that atoms spontaneously combined and formed the first cell as we know cells to be or that sometime ago a lungfish gave birth to a frog….



THis was his reply
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaywalker

a.)
/ / / /
/ / / /
/ / / /
b.)
- -//\\ - - ll\\ - - //ll
- //__\\ - ll \\ - // -ll
//- - - \\ -ll -\\// - ll
We know that letter a is ordered since the characters are laid out in a predictable pattern. Such patterns occur naturally. Letter b however seems designed. Most often we perceive something as designed if it conveys meaning. To someone who can’t read roman alphabets, letter b is just an ordered collection of characters arranged in straight lines and diagonals. To us however we know it reads AM and therefore there is a high probability that it was purposely arranged that way. Unfortunately some people extend this interpretation of meaning to objects that have no objective meaning –they look at the sunset and they see some sort of higher purpose or something like that. And then god enters the picture

I agree that both of them are ordered. But as Ischarmoochie said, the no. of steps to describe pattern (a) is very small compared to that of pattern (b). Regarding the sunset illustration, it is still debatable if it indeed has no objective meaning.

Quote:
Nobody is arguing against the complexity of DNA.

Thank you. At least we agree that the DNA is complex.

Quote:
trypho you took IT, you probably know that it’s extremely improbable to generate even a simple working program by randomly generating characters. Analogously it’s also near-impossible to generate a complete DNA string by chance alone (at least with our current understanding of how things work). However if instead of single characters we generate random words then your chances improve a bit. And if instead of single words you generate chunks of code then your chances improve even more.
I’m not making specific suggestions on how DNA could have formed I’m merely stating what evolution has been suggesting ever since it was first introduced but seems to just be flying over the heads of lesser theists. Complex things gradually arise from more and more simple things. Nobody is saying that atoms spontaneously combined and formed the first cell as we know cells to be or that sometime ago a lungfish gave birth to a frog….

Are you trying to argue that just because the chance for each successive step is high then the overall chance must be high too? I say that such inference is based on faith and not science. Suppose we are to consider the chances of an untrained rat successfully getting out of a maze. Let's say that the rat would have to correctly pass 100 gates/doors successively to be able to go to the exit. Of course, when the rat is on the 50th gate, the chance of getting through the 51st gate is relatively high, and when the rat is on the 51st gate, the chance of getting through the 52nd is also comparatively high. But does that mean that the chance of getting from the 1st to the 100th gate is high too? "Gradual" or not, the probability is still the same.



And this was my rebuttal which practically ended our debate since he didn't reply anymore:

Quote:
Originally Posted by trypho
I agree that both of them are ordered. But as Ischarmoochie said, the no. of steps to describe pattern (a) is very small compared to that of pattern (b). Regarding the sunset illustration, it is still debatable if it indeed has no objective meaning.
If we are going to define the level of information as the compressibility of information then a random string of characters should contain more information than an ordered set since there is no pattern to base a simplification upon but I think everyone would agree that randomness is not indicative of design. That’s problematic since Mordecai equates the level of information with design
I don’t know if you brought up information entropy just to say what you think information is or whether you’re going to use it as argument for design
-if it is the latter then I’d like to know whether you define ‘design’ as inversely proportional to the information entropy or directly proportional to it. If it is inversely proportional (correct me if I’m wrong) then pattern (a) should look more ‘designed’ than pattern (b) but obviously it does not. If it is directly proportional then pattern (b) should look more designed than pattern (a) –consistent with how we view the two patterns. But using the same argument would lead us back to the same problem above. A random string of characters should look more designed than the two patterns.
-If not, then I’d like to know if you think design is reducible to a mathematical formula. And if you do what would the formula be? How would you mathematically differentiate between mere order and design?


Quote:
Are you trying to argue that just because the chance for each successive step is high then the overall chance must be high too? I say that such inference is based on faith and not science. Suppose we are to consider the chances of an untrained rat successfully getting out of a maze. Let's say that the rat would have to correctly pass 100 gates/doors successively to be able to go to the exit. Of course, when the rat is on the 50th gate, the chance of getting through the 51st gate is relatively high, and when the rat is on the 51st gate, the chance of getting through the 52nd is also comparatively high. But does that mean that the chance of getting from the 1st to the 100th gate is high too? "Gradual" or not, the probability is still the same.
The difference between my computer program analogy and your mouse in a maze analogy is that my model reaches its goal through gradual successive steps while your model is just a one step solution. If we were to make your model equivalent to mine, everytime your mouse goes through the maze again it would have to skip the gates that it got “right”. If the mouse wouldn’t have to retry everything from the bottom up the chances that it would complete the maze (even if the mouse has no faculties for retaining memory) would go progressively higher after every try

There was an experiment before by Richard Dawkins(author of the blind watchmaker) wherein he tried to make a program generate a line from hamlet “Methinks it is a weasel” by generating random sequences of characters. The estimate on how long it would take for the computer to produce the string was a million million million million million years. (27^28 possible combinations) Needless to say generating the string in a single step is impossible. However the experiment is not comparable to the evolutionary model…
The aforementioned experiment was meant as a caricature for how creationists view evolution. Dawkins presented a second experiment in which instead of regenerating a whole string every time, combinations of characters which closely matched the line from hamlet were kept as they were and were reused after every successive regeneration. After just 43 generations and about half an hour the exact line has been generated

Our DNA is not a complete rewrite compared to the DNA of a chimp or even a mouse. Just relatively minor misspellings which just hammers the point that Human DNA was not made from the ground up as it is. It evolved from DNAs of other organisms

There’s a difference between a couple of coins tossed in the air organizing themselves into a pattern resembling your initials after falling down and molecules organizing themselves through chemical reactions. The latter doesn’t depend on probability to form a complex pattern. It is part of the way nature works. There are such relatively feasible chemical explanations for how the first cell may have been produced
Mordecai may argue that the pattern resembling your initials contains ‘specific information’. Of course we have to define if specificity can exist if the object the ‘information’ is specifically intended for doesn’t exist yet. If no one on earth can read and write in english then the text in this entire thread is no different from a random generation of roman characters. I say the probability of generating any group of characters is always 100 percent.

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