This from a reader:
I enjoy reading Maverick Philosopher even though I seldom agree with the conservative viewpoint. The thing that I find most interesting about your articles on abortion is that they really do not address what I consider to be the central issue and that is when does human life begin. Zygote, blastomere, embryo, fetus? I would be interested in your ideas.
Well, I did address this question on the old blog. But in philosophy one is never done revising and re-thinking, so let me take another stab at this.
1. Note first that your question -- When does human life begin? -- is not exact. Presumably, what you are asking is: When does a human life begin? Our concern is with the origin of particular human lives, not human life in general. Even so, the question remains unclear. Here are two possible disambiguations of 'When does a human life begin?' given that the context is the morality of abortion:
Q1. When does a life become human in a sense of 'human' that justifies ascription of the right to life?
Q2. When does a life become human in the biological sense of 'human'?
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