Essentialism only works when we know exactly what it means to be X – e.g. where X is a triangle or a bachelor. But when it comes to something like humanity or personhood then we have to abandon essentialism and accept instead a family resemblance among the things which we – as a matter of convention – designate as "human" or "person". — Michael
... the issue of lumping things such a triangles with personhood is well... seems like a massive equivocation. What one can speak of regarding one notions is not necessarily what one can speak of regarding another notion, but indeed there are those who will try and possibly get away with it depending upon who is listening. — Mayor of Simpleton
Essentialism only works when we know exactly what it means to be X – e.g. where X is a triangle or a bachelor. But when it comes to something like humanity or personhood then we have to abandon essentialism and accept instead a family resemblance among the things which we – as a matter of convention – designate as "human" or "person". — Michael
I don't see how resorting to family resemblance offers a solution. You are still left with the requirement that for X to be a human (for example) that X have certain attributes, with those attributes being defined as "resemblances." — Hanover
But when it comes to something like humanity or personhood then we have to abandon essentialism and accept instead a family resemblance among the things which we – as a matter of convention – designate as "human" or "person". — Michael
Is essentialism confined to identifying one characteristic or trait as essential or can it identify a set of traits... — Soylent
... such that no single trait is necessary or sufficient in themselves but when all are absent, the identity of the object is essentially different? For instance, to be human is essentially to have any combination of traits {x, y, z} such that if one does not have any combination of traits {x, y ,z}, then they are not human. The essential feature is the "any combination of traits {x, y, z}".
Essentialism is "the view that, for any specific entity (such as an animal, a group of people, a physical object, a concept), there is a set of attributes which are necessary to its identity and function"1.
It is irrelevant whether we say "this is what is means to be human" or whether we say "this is what "human" means." In either event, you are attempting to identify a particular metaphysical attribute that is essential for humans (or "humans"). That is, whether we are (1) trying to figure out how we use a term or (2) trying to figure out what certain beings have in common, in either event, we are analyzing for similarities and trying to determine when two things are similar enough to be the same type of thing.No, because rather than saying "this is what it means to be human" I would say "these are the things that we call 'human' and these are some of things that a lot of these things have in common". It's an entirely different approach – and one that doesn't require that there be necessary requirements to qualify as human. Because it's not about qualifying as human but about whether or not describing this thing as human is more-or-less consistent with how we already use the word. — Michael
In either event, you are attempting to identify a particular metaphysical attribute that is essential for humans (or "humans"). — Hanover
I don't see why it matters at all whether we say that "all humans have the following similarities" as opposed to our saying "all uses of the term 'human" have the following similarities."
Or, put another way, isn't DNA itself very close to the ancient idea of 'essence'? — Wayfarer
I don't see why it matters at all whether we say that "all humans have the following similarities" as opposed to our saying "all uses of the term 'human" have the following similarities." — Hanover
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