I would like someone to explain to me when "life begins"

[akuma587]

Tispower1 said:

akuma587 said:

Tispower1 said:
To quote a darwinist philospher (Michael Ruse):

"Why should a bunch of atoms have thinking ability? Why should I, even as I write now, be able to reflect on what I am doing and why should you, even as you read this now be able to ponder my points agreeing or disagreeing, with pleasure or pain, deciding to refute me or deciding that I am just not worth the effort? No one, certainly not the Darwinian as such, seems to have any answer to this...The point is there is no scientific answer."

Until you pro-choice people tell me when consciousness begins in a human, then I'll continue to be pro-life.

You can't be conscious until your brain works, so consciousness begins when brainwave activity begins if it begins anywhere.  Self-awareness is different than consciousness, and is a higher level of consciousness.

 

 

So how can you know when someone is self-aware?

It kind of depends on how you define self-aware:

This is from wiki:

Self-awareness is the explicit understanding that one exists. Furthermore, it includes the concept that one exists as an individual, separate from other people, with private thoughts. It may also include the understanding that other people are similarly self-aware.

This is from dictionary.com:

Aware of oneself, including one's traits, feelings, and behaviors.

So technically babies and most animals are not self-aware.  They may have a range of emotions, but that does not mean that they are aware of those feelings.  Many animals and babies cannot understand that if they look in a mirror that it is a reflection of themselves.

So self-awareness is really a non-issue in this debate because it isn't developed until after birth anyways.