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Name: Luo Zexuan
Phil 137
Date: November 30th ,2012
What Is a Man?
In the Star Trek “Measure of a man”, it discusses the qualities of being a human
being. In the film, Dr. Noonien Soong is trying to start an experiment of testing a crew
member called “Data”, who is a robot with artificial intelligence looking similar to
normal human beings. His experiment could probably cause damage to Data. In this case,
the caption rejects the request of his experiment of making experiment on Data and
proposes that Data has the right to choose whether he accept the experiment. However,
Dr. Noonien Soong thinks that Data is a robot, not human being. Data is fulfilled with
human made body, but not a real physical body. Although a robot can act or think like a
normal person, it is still an object belonging to human beings. An object has no right to
choose what they want but wait for the order of its master. Captain argues Dr. Noonien
Soong’s point of view by stating the quality that defines a human. Data has two out of
three qualities that make him have the right of a human being. His well developed brain
bringing him outstanding intelligence and his collection of trivial objects that are valuable
to him, such as a book that captain gave him, respectively showing his intelligence and
self-awareness, which are two out three qualities that define a human being. In this paper,
I will argue that through the process of defining human beings, we can see that despite
intelligence, what define the accessibility to moral consideration is the sentience, the
quality that gives human the ability to feel and be aware of themselves and others.
According to Descartes, only beings with mind merit moral consideration. In his
point of view, every being with a central control in its head that can guide it or make
decision what to do next worth moral consideration. However, since a brain is the basic
feature that distincts animals from plants, all animals meet such requirements. It is an
inborn nature that every animal will send signal of what it want to its body and do
whatever it like. In this case, if we set the qualification for moral consideration to beings
with mind, every animal includes pig that only know eat and sleep would count. Since
moral consideration is only qualified for those who can act or think like human, such
theory is too broad for moral consideration. Rather than used to determine moral
consideration, such theory is best applied for the qualification to live in the world.
According to Aquinas, only beings with reason, intelligence merit moral consideration. In
his view, any beings that have the strong ability to think, analyze, calculate and make
decision objectively worth moral consideration. Although pure intelligent beings could
create the strong society in the world, they are too far from the concern of the moral
consideration. In their world, everything is absolutely correct or wrong. There can be
never a case that allows a kindly wrong behavior. For example, in the world of computer,
everything is absolutely right or wrong. People have given computer the smartest brain in
the world. It can calculate complex numbers and make decision quickly and correctly
with what it knows. But, if we type in the wrong data, the computer would simply pop
out false information or lead to wrong result. In this case, there would be no need for
moral consideration since there would not be a third option despite right and wrong.
There is never a ‘morally right lie’, but a lie that is definitely wrong. There is no longer
any moral issue but an absolute standard. According to Kant, only beings who can act on
principle merit moral consideration. In his point of view, beings that can follow the rule
approach moral consideration. On example that objects such view is the animals in the
circus. Animals in the circus are trained to perform. They are taught different behaviors to
attract audience, such as lions jumping through fire rings. What those animals do every
