What is a person?

Question

I am writing a paper for Philosophy and need others opinions as well as my own. Thank you.

Answer 1

A person is a strategy devised by its genes in order to replicate themselves.

Answer 2

What is a person? This question must be answered before we can even begin to think about whether it might be possible to build a person. The English term, "person," is ambiguous. We often use it as a synonym for "human being." But surely that is not what we intend here. It is possible that there are aliens living on other planets that have the same cognitive abililties that we do (e.g. E.T., Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, the famous "bar scene" from Star Wars). Imagine aliens that speak a language, make moral judgments, create literature and works of art, etc. Surely aliens with these properties would be "persons"--which is to say that it would be morally wrong to buy or sell them as property the way we do with dogs and cats or to otherwise use them for our own interests without taking into account the fact that they are moral agents with interests that deserve the same protection that ours do. Thus, one of our primary interests is to distinguish persons from property. A person is the kind of entity that has the moral right to make its own life-choices, to live its life without (unprovoked) interference from others. Property is the kind of thing that can be bought and sold, something I can "use" for my own interests. [Of course when it comes to animals, there are serious moral constraints on how they may be "used." We urge you to learn about the philosophical debates concerning the ethical treatment of animals and whether animals may not themselves have extensive rights not commonly accorded them in our society. (Soon there will be a link here to bibliographic suggestions.)] Persons are not to be treated as property. Henceforth, we shall define a person as follows:

PERSON = "any entity that has the moral right of self-determination."

So then, any entity judged to be a person would be the kind of thing that would deserve protection under the constitution of a just society. For example, you might think that any such being would have the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

One of the primary philosophical questions that concerns us in the PT-Project is: What properties must an entity possess to be a "person"? Many properties have been suggested: Intelligence, the capacity to speak a language, creativity, the ability to make moral judgments, consciousness, free will, a soul, self-awareness . . and the list could go on almost indefinitely.

Answer 3

An entity which has the ability to choose its own perception of its environment, and make its own decisions based on this perception. For example, a corporation is legally defined as a person, and its directors are the mind and will of the corporation, which give it a perception, and thus lead to its actions (seeking profit).

Answer 4

A person is an Mamal diffrent to all other animals as we have the self power to investigate our future..... advance in such means that no aniaml can ever imagine.... we are the cream of universe as there is no one who can be at our level... n nerver wil be... and never has been,

Answer 5

It is the distinct personality that makes a person a person. Personality comprises of looks, thoughts and actions.

Answer 6

Hi. A person is an individual human being.
Cheers.

Answer 7

You get your good ones and bad... Us 'persons' are intellectually superior and have developed a social society that is the most complexed on earth.

Answer 8

i think a person is a human beign that got the conscience enough to have a rol in our society tha can be recognized by other persons

Answer 9

A person is a human being with Intelligence, self awareness and conscience..I am a person!

Answer 10

A person is a mind housed in a body.

A human being is the body itself equipped with a brain.

That's my own opinion, anyway. =\
You may or may not agree with it. ^_^