Sixteen days

Barry Smith; Berit Brogaard

doi:10.1076/jmep.28.1.45.14172

Sixteen days

Barry Smith, Berit Brogaard

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

When does a human being begin to exist? We argue that it is possible, through a combination of biological fact and philosophical analysis, to provide a definitive answer to this question. We lay down a set of conditions for being a human being, and we determine when, in the course of normal fetal development, these conditions are first satisfied. Issues dealt with along the way include: modes of substance-formation, twinning, the nature of the intra-uterine environment, and the nature of the relation between fetus and mother (connection, parthood, dependence).

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	45-78
Number of pages	34
Journal	Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
Volume	28
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1076/jmep.28.1.45.14172
State	Published - Feb 2003
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Embryo
Fetal development
Fetus
Foster
Ontology
Substance

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Issues, ethics and legal aspects
Philosophy

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10.1076/jmep.28.1.45.14172

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KW - Foster

KW - Ontology

KW - Substance

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Sixteen days

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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