Quote:
Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
b. Describe what makes us human and I'll tell you whether they are human.
Is it DNA? Or the ability to engage in some combination of humanoid appearance, rational thought, use of opposable thumb, and thirty five other major and several thousand minor characteristics? Because, just off-hand, certain great apes would bear more of a similarity to a new-born child than will an embryo.
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While I agree that what is and what is not human is definitional, by the definition you suggest, a child born with microencephaly (who cannot use their opposable thumbs nor engage in rational thought) is less of a human than an ape with a fully functioning brain.
