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Re:What the brain's wiring looks like by Razengan on Wednesday July 05, 2017 @06:36PM (#14706686)
Are the neurons and chemicals and electrical impulses in our brains someone?
Re:What the brain's wiring looks like by xj9 on Wednesday July 05, 2017 @06:50PM (#14706765)
collectively, yes.

so the question is, where does the line between animate and inanimate lie?

Re:What the brain's wiring looks like by Razengan on Wednesday July 05, 2017 @07:46PM (#14707121)
What about the brains of other animals or the nervous systems of insects, or the neurons in an octopus tentacle? Are they someone?

It’s an interesting line of questioning. What makes “someone?”

Is a living but braindead/comatose human body someone?

Many may be inclined to say yes, yet a statue or other inanimate likeness of a human wouldn’t be considered someone..

How about a thing that doesn’t resemble a human at all but gives the exact same responses to inputs that a human brain would? Say, on a computer screen?

If you were told that a real person is sitting somewhere and sending these responses, you’d say it was someone, but probably not if you were told that it’s an AI...

It’s mostly all subjective and we just pick the definition that’s convenient for us to work with and comprehend.