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    Gilbert's proposal to define Homo sapiens via DNA compari... — Carmelics
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    Home/Bioethics
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    Gilbert's proposal to define Homo sapiens via DNA comparison to nonhuman primates relies on species essentialism, which is philosophically untenable.

    BioethicsModality & Possibility
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    2 reasons for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

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    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.Hull (1978) and Ghiselin (1974) established that species are historical individuals, not natural kinds defined by shared intrinsic properties.
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    • 2.DNA sequence thresholds between taxa are statistically constructed conventions, not discoveries of essential boundaries in nature.
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    • 3.If species lack essences, no percentage of genomic similarity can constitute a necessary or sufficient condition for species membership.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
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    • 1.Lewontin's (1972) finding that most human genetic variation exists within, not between, populations undermines genome-based typological demarcation.
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    • 2.A definition grounding Homo sapiens membership in primate DNA divergence would misclassify humans with atypical genomes, violating extensional adequacy.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
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    • 1.Gilbert assumes species can be defined by properties universally shared among, and particular to, their members.
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    • 2.This assumption is species essentialism.
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    • 3.Species essentialism has long been challenged by philosophers of biology.
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    Topics

    BioethicsModality & Possibility

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge2 linkedPhilosophy of Language2 linked

    Related

    A definition grounding Homo sapiens membership in primate DNA divergence would m...DNA sequence thresholds between taxa are statistically constructed conventions, ...Gilbert assumes species can be defined by properties universally shared among, a...Hull (1978) and Ghiselin (1974) established that species are historical individu...
    +4 moreShow less
    If species lack essences, no percentage of genomic similarity can constitute a n...Lewontin's (1972) finding that most human genetic variation exists within, not b...Species essentialism has long been challenged by philosophers of biology.

    Similar

    Aristotelian (essentialist) definitions of species must be abandoned i...82%This assumption is species essentialism.78%Being an organism that belongs to the species Homo sapiens is a matter...76%Certain relations are necessary and sufficient for membership in a spe...75%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: human-genome
    View source passageHide passage
    A more secular philosophical concern about essentialism is tied to longstanding debates in philosophy of biology about species (see Erefshefsky 1992). Gilbert (1992) foresaw from the HGP a DNA-based definition of Homo sapiens: “At the end of the genome project, we will want to be able to identify all the genes that make up a human being. For example, we will compare the sequences of the human and the mouse and be able to determine the genes that define a mammal by this comparison…. So by compari
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    This assumption is species essentialism.
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit