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Luke_A_Somers comments on [Link] First almost fully-formed human [foetus] brain grown in lab, researchers claim - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: ESRogs 19 August 2015 06:37AM

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Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 20 August 2015 08:19:13PM 5 points [-]

We don't know enough about brain operation to conclude that sensory stimuli are necessary for ethically sensitive processes to start.

Comment author: hyporational 21 August 2015 03:38:46PM *  0 points [-]

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.