[ExI] Let's play What If.

Stefano Vaj stefano.vaj at gmail.com
Tue Nov 16 00:11:44 UTC 2010


On 14 November 2010 20:40, Ben Zaiboc <bbenzai at yahoo.com> wrote:

> The question doesn't have any real sense, but the significant thing is why.
>
> The reason is that a blastocyst has no central nervous system.
> No CNS, no thoughts.  No thoughts, no identity.  No identity, no 'soul'.
>  QED.
>

Even if they had, it would not change a thing, IMHO.


BTW, I find your turn of phrase: "the soul - or, for those who prefer to put
> some secular veneer on such concepts, the individual's 'identity'...", a
> little odd.  Why a 'secular veneer'?  Is secularism not the default
> position, in your opinion?  I'd have expected you to say "the identity - or,
> for those who prefer to put some supernatural veneer on such concepts, the
> individual's 'soul'...".
>

My point is that thinking of "identity" in essentialist terms is a thinly
disguised metaphysical position. Thus, the opposite does not really express
what I mean. In fact, it would seem quite bizarre to claim that those who
believe in some kind of "soul" are thinly disguised secularists.

As i believe it should be quite obvious, I am personally very far from both
POVs...

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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