Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 14:48:07 -0500 (EST)
From: Justin Schwartz <jschwart-AT-freenet.columbus.oh.us>
Subject: Re: M-TH: Abortion & Human Nature


On Sun, 25 Jan 1998, James Heartfield wrote:

> underdeveloped. If your view of personhood is vague enough to include a
> fetus, then I suggest that you don't know what it is to be a person.

James supposes that only his view of the nature of personhood is precise
enough to count as a view. In fact it's possible to have an extremely
precuse notion of personhood that includes fetuses as people. These views
may not be pluasible, but they are not necessarily vgaue. I agree, though,
that we don't know what it is to be a person, in the sense of having an
adequate account of the concept. That's one resaon I think we should shift
the debate from metaphysicals, which is inherently inconclusive, to politics.

--jks






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