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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: 2MAR$ who wrote (23095)	8/18/2001 10:37:34 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

DNA makes snails. DNA makes humans. But snails, as far as we know, aren't self aware. Humans are. So either there is something different in our DNA that adds the element of self-awareness. Or it is something other than a factor in our DNA that adds self-awareness. The only two options. If it IS something in our DNA, science has no clue what it is, and has not found, that I know of, any aspect of our DNA enough different in its basic nature from other DNA to account for the difference. If it ISN'T something in our DNA, what is it? Science has no clue. Why is this important? This discussion started in my response to a post about embryos. How do we know when embryos should be considered people, and therefore protected, and when shouldn't they. In order to answer this question based on science, science would have to say what it is that creates the self-awareness aspect of our being. At least, that's my view. You can disagree, but when science can't say what it is that makes a human a human in the meaningful sense -- that is, as the only known self-aware creature -- science can't say when a human becomes a human. So we have to look elsewhere than science. That was the point. Please don't answer until you have absorbed and understood this argument. Then address the argument. If you want to discuss something else, fine, say what it is that you want to discuss and I or somebody else will respond if I or they are interested. I have one simple point that I want to address.