RE: embryos and pain

Rob Harris Cen-IT (Rob.Harris@bournemouth.gov.uk)
Tue, 17 Aug 1999 17:34:48 +0100

>Practical Application with Human Embryo Experiments.
>Lets say I'm an embryo. An embryo that is to be tested and then discarded
>never having the chance for life.
>This is a real situation. It could of happened to me. So do I consider
>that good or bad? Neither. I'm indifferent. Here's why.
1)It wouldn't be painful

This depends on whether or not the entity is conscious, and has functioning systems to provide pain to that consciousness. I personally doubt that embryos are conscious, but this is merely a hunch, as the truth is we just don't know yet.

>2)I wouldn't go through any psychological terror as it occurred

Again, can we be sure of this?

>3)At age embryo I wouldn't have experienced life and would have no desire
>to experience it. I have no knowledge of it.

The fear of death as a concept is a primal instinct - as with the vast majority of concepts humans come into contact with, there is an associated emotional response. This is not built on logical thought - and as such is knowledge independent. Again, the question is does an embryo have the necessary systems?

>4)I don't have an identity yet because I don't have any memories or
>experiences to make up my identity yet.

Identity? What is it? Ny name? How is this relevant to the fear and pain of death?

>The consequence of such a thing happening to me is that I wouldn't be given

>a chance to experience all the things that humans get to experience.

Yeah - and what a joy it all is.....not.

That
>doesn't matter to something that doesn't know about or hasn't thought of
>those experiences. It isn't missing anything.

I'm sure that's not a concern for people either - more the combination of the primal survival instinct and the equally primal fear of the unknown. I think the reason that people always try to attribute some non-emotive logic to their actions is based in the "can't let on I'm just a knee-jerk reactionary" instinct (required for the social displays we constanly have to dance), as we constantly seek things with attached conscious pleasure, avoiding pain, and nothing else. (Pleasure and pain are used in the broadest terms)....
Remember - it's logic used to act upon emotional responses as an edge -we're still animals after all. We don't use logic to create emotions - after all, why would EVERYONE decide to create pain, embarrassment (the whipping sticks of that bitch mother nature), guilt, etc. etc........



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