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Published in: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 2/2020

Open Access 01-06-2020 | Scientific Contribution

Schrödinger’s fetus examined

Author: Bruce P. Blackshaw

Published in: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy | Issue 2/2020

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Abstract

Joona Räsänen has proposed a concept he calls Schrödinger’s Fetus as a solution to reconciling what he believes are two widely held but contradictory intuitions. I show that Elizabeth Harman’s Actual Future Principle, upon which Schrödinger’s Fetus is based, uses a more convincing account of personhood. I also argue that both Räsänen and Harman, by embracing animalism, weaken their arguments by allowing Don Marquis’ ‘future like ours’ argument for the immorality of abortion into the frame.
Footnotes
1
The possibility of twinning in the first 14 days has resulted in debate over whether the same individual persists from conception.
 
Literature
Metadata
Title
Schrödinger’s fetus examined
Author
Bruce P. Blackshaw
Publication date
01-06-2020
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy / Issue 2/2020
Print ISSN: 1386-7423
Electronic ISSN: 1572-8633
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-019-09936-0

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