Luke_A_Somers comments on [Link] First almost fully-formed human [foetus] brain grown in lab, researchers claim - Less Wrong Discussion
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (40)
As bad as the argument is, it's a little different when the brain has never ever been outside one.
How is it a bad argument?
We don't know enough about brain operation to conclude that sensory stimuli are necessary for ethically sensitive processes to start.
I wasn't sure if we were metaphorically talking about the foetus brain in question or a hypothetical human that's fully grown in an isolation tank. If we were talking about the former, we seem to have a fundamentally different set of ethics. With your clarification I assume we're talking about the latter, in which case I agree with you.
Saying that an undeveloped foetus brain isn't thinking because it hasn't received sensory stimuli is a different argument than saying that a fully grown brain can't think because it hasn't received sensory stimuli.