Essay On Personhood

Personhood can be defined in numerous ways, and different things qualify as a person depending on how you define it. However, while there are persons and non-persons, there is also a wide spectrum of things that fall in between these statuses. This can be argued through the biological, social and legal definitions of personhood. Defined as ‘an individual human being; a man, woman, or child’, ‘a thinking, intelligent Being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself’, and ‘an individual or corporate body recognized by the laws as having certain rights and duties’ respectively, there are many entities that will qualify for 1, 2 or all of these definitions, whereby making them a person to a greater or lesser extent. It is

However, so does many other animals and certain objects. Many of the great apes for example, are intelligent beings that have been shown to be able to recognize itself in the mirror 1. Certain robots, as artificial intelligence progresses are considered intelligent, many gaining elements of human linguistic capability, in some cases. This therefore raises the question, if these entities qualify as a person, are they therefore a person in equal measure to human beings? The answer is no. All human beings meet the criteria of personhood biologically, and most meet the definition socially and legally as well. Logically speaking, a person that embodies more of the qualities of personhood, will be a person to a greater extent than a person who has less of these qualities. Therefore, though the great apes and advanced robots are on the spectrum of personhood, human beings who meet all the of definitions of personhood are persons to a weightier