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un: xspire

At what point does something get the right to be called a person? What do they need to do to deserve that?

Has anyone ever thought about it?

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[ Oh boy. ]

Personhood isn't something you earn or deserve through effort. It's inherent.

a person dies

something that isn't a person just ceases to be

Maybe when they think of themselves as a person. Isn't that enough?

Edited 2019-11-11 01:25 (UTC)

[huh, that sure is a question, isn't it

...]

yo skynet, this you?

Lots of people have thought about it. Philosophers have been around for a good while, you know?

But if you ask me, a person is an entity that can hurt and be hurt - just for the pleasure of pain or inflicting it.

There's a million definitions about what makes a person that involve metaphysical variables like souls and love, but that's not much of an answer for a scientist. I've always felt that if you can discuss abstract concepts with it then it might as well be a person.

A person is whatever some jackass decides is a person at the time. You can think you're a person but if some asshole sees you as a monster or tool to use, that's that. You might as well think of yourself as whatever you want. You could even be a bigger freak and call yourself an animal. Freedom of choice is fun like that.

Living things are supposed to have souls. So I guess that's one distinction if someone is a person or not.

[Probably.]

If you can think, if you can feel emotions - and those things are real despite what anyone says, that's a person.

Screw anyone that says you're not a person because you don't look right, or don't have the right-looking soul, or what the hell ever. So, I guess? You do you, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

i swear to god i figured out the answer to this one last time i was high, but then i forgot like two seconds later.

if i'm gonna be honest, i got no clue how you'd tell for sure.
could fuck around and see if you come up with a soul, i guess?
or do a brainscan.
but honestly if they might be a person it's probably better to just assume they are.
worst-case scenario, you get scammed by a really good chatbot.
best-case scenario, you avoid committing war crimes.
it's just smarter to play the odds there.

Edited 2019-11-11 02:07 (UTC)