Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: JimSEA
"I’m not all that religious but am quite interested in science. The moment of creation of unique DNA is clearly the beginning of an individual human life."

And how can you prove this with the science you are quite interested in other than by just arbitrarily defining life as the "moment of creation of unique DNA" which would just be begging the question by assuming that which you seek to prove.

6 posted on 12/02/2011 10:10:02 AM PST by circlecity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ]


To: circlecity

I see. And you would define the beginning of life as what and when and based on what authority? Just curious.

I am not all that religious based on the fact that all religions are creations of self interested men (or women). Should I be a Methodist, Calvinist, Catholic or Mormon. Which of those groups are divinely inspired? Science is merely a logical construct for ordering the collection of data and the examination of matter. It makes no pretense of being the end all of existence although some of its practitioners like Dawkins try and do so. Atheism itself is a religion as practiced today.

I’m not attacking your beliefs but I likely do not share them. I’m certainly not trying to convert anyone, I’m just explaining where I’m coming from.


22 posted on 12/02/2011 10:44:21 AM PST by JimSEA (The future ain't what it used to be.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]

To: circlecity
And how can you prove this with the science you are quite interested in other than by just arbitrarily defining life as the "moment of creation of unique DNA" which would just be begging the question by assuming that which you seek to prove.

Speaking as a biologist, I will say that there cannot be an arbitrary point at which human life begins. Life exists as a continuum; it can end, but it doesn't begin.

The definition of life is that biological processes are occurring. There are biological processes in the ovum, in the sperm, and in the zygote that results when they fuse. Since all of these entities are biologically quite active, they are all alive. And when each of these cells comes from a human, they are all human.

Perhaps a more meaningful "start" point would be when these living cells take on the characteristics of a unique human being. And that would be soon after fertilization--I would select the first cell division as the point at which a unique human exists, although that point could arguably be moved back to the moment of conception. The reason I wouldn't choose conception as the start point is that the fusion of an ovum and a sperm don't necessarily lead to a viable zygote; sometimes, they fuse and, for whatever reason, the process that results in a growing zygote fails.

79 posted on 12/04/2011 5:15:02 AM PST by exDemMom (Now that I've finally accepted that I'm living a bad hair life, I'm more at peace with the world.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson