Astral Codex Ten Podcast My Responses To Three Concerns From The Embryo Selection Post
Aug 24, 2025
The podcast dives into the moral status of embryos in in vitro fertilization, stirring philosophical debates about personhood and value. It challenges listeners with questions about defining life and the hierarchy of beings, from embryos to animals. Ethical dilemmas of embryo selection are explored, spotlighting the implications of trait selection on human diversity. The conversation further touches on future possibilities in transhumanism while advocating compassion for all, regardless of their origins. It's a thought-provoking journey through complex ethical territory.
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Personhood Tied To Conscious Capacity
- Scott Alexander argues embryos lack consciousness and the traits that make persons morally valuable.
- He prefers valuing beings by capacities like consciousness, preferences, and experience rather than mere biological potential.
Potential Produces Odd Counterexamples
- Scott gives counterexamples: sperm, pizza, and iron blocks can have 'potential' but aren't persons.
- He shows that appeals to potential alone produce absurd inclusions and need more principled grounding.
Past Personhood Creates Residual Claims
- Scott distinguishes past/future personhood claims using thought experiments like surgery and disassembly.
- He argues prior personhood can create residual moral claims even when consciousness is temporarily absent.