Essay talk:The relevance of 'life begins at conception.'

Is it true

Your bold assertion that life begins at conception is far from "true" - it's a far more complex question than that. Try reading our article on exactly this. Doxys Midnight Runner (talk) 09:18, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Indeed, it's not that simple. You say: "There are functioning cells from that point on."

Well, yes, but the egg and sperm were functioning cells before conception as well.--Bob^{"I think you'll find it's more complicated than that."} 09:38, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Update: Expanded on 'Is it true.'^{— Unsigned, by: Bazer63 / talk / contribs}

While thinking about this it occurred to me that we are all dying. We are born, live for a while, and we die. Death is a permanent state which will swallow us all and it is the end of a constant process to which we are all subject.

Whereas conception is the union of two previously living things into another single living thing. So life really can't be said to begin at conception - though, rather curiously, I think I can make a case for "death begins at conception".--Bob^{"I think you'll find it's more complicated than that."} 18:32, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

For some reason this train of thought made me think of Heidegger's "Being-toward-death", in which we are beings that are defined by our living towards death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heideggerian_terminology#Being-toward-death Nullahnung (talk) 18:47, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Well that's sort of heavy going!--Bob^{"I think you'll find it's more complicated than that."} 19:04, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

You're assuming that all living things are equal

They're not. It's okay to kill animals and plants and bacteria because they have a lower level of consciousness, where as humans have a much higher one. Now, Even though at certain stages of pregnancy a fetus is not as intelligent as a human, it has the capacity to become one, like a cake being baked. If you wasted the batter before it finishes being made, you still wasted a cake. So, in conclusion, it is relevant. Halforc (talk) 01:33, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

That's a pretty subjective judgement you're making using suitably vague criteria. What even is a "lower level of consciousness"? What makes humans unique in such a way that can't be observed in other creatures to any degree? Is it our capacity for thought? Other animals demonstrate clear evidence of thought. Is it our ability to suffer? (Convenient that you use the extremely questionable criterion of "level of consciousness" and not "capacity to suffer.") It's a no-brainer that other creatures possess the ability to suffer. Carthage (talk) 09:26, 16 March 2024 (UTC)