philosophy quiz

1. What does Little mean when she talks about revising our theory of values to accommodate an entity like a fetus rather than the other way around?

Revising our theory of values to accommodate an entity like a fetus rather than the other way round implies that the personhood of the fetus should be not emphasized right from the time of conception but instead, the fetus should be assigned a different value, perhaps different from the insistence on personhood.

2. What does Little argue makes the fetus “natural” development unlike the development of most biological organisms?

What distinguishes the fetus natural development from the development of other biological organisms, according to Little, is that while the development of other forms of life like fish involves the egg stage which can be turned into any other organism through proper laboratory mechanization, the embryo cannot be held in the same esteem as a sperm or an egg.

3. Why does Little say that an abortion cannot be a case of “wrongful interference?” Does that mean it cannot be wrong?

Abortion cannot be a case of wrongful interference because, in Little’s Opinion, terminating the gestation takes away from the ‘person’ what he/she would not have had without your assistance-their life. This is in contrast to killing an adult person who was having a happy life and a definite trajectory independent of your aid. However, that position does not mean that abortion cannot be wrong. It can be wrong, yes, but cannot be judged in light of the right against interference.

4. Explain what you understand to be Little’s point about “authorship” in her discussion of “Intimacy, Pregnancy, and Motherhood.” Do you find it compelling?

Little’s point about authorship is that the mother is responsible for the existence of the fetus from the point of conception through voluntary intercourse. Since the author has the right to terminate the existence of whatever is created, the mother has the right to terminate the life of the fetus. However, I don’t find her position compelling because the right to terminate life is vested on a superior being, not mere human beings.

5. What is the initial point of the example of the soldier who does not fall on the grenade, the woman who does not marry the suitor, and the woman who does not provide sexual services to the troops?

The example of a woman who turns down marriage proposal or refuses to have sex for several reasons which revolve around sharing her body with a fetus during gestation which obviously follow the consent to have sex or to get married altogether.

6. Which of the examples in #5 does she later modify, and for what purpose?

The initial point of these examples is that all these people refuse to offer the services because they love themselves and not just because they do not love the subjects.

7. Summarize what you believe Little means by “stewardship” (mentioned on p154, the central point of the her discussion of “Norms of Responsible Creation”). Cite a passage that illustrates what you believe she means, and comment on how strong of a point she is making.

Stewardship, as used by Little, implies the authority to take care of something on behalf of another person who is the owner thereof. The mother is, therefore, a steward of the fetus life and has dominion over it as part of the creative responsibility.

8. What does Little think of the claim that having an abortion for the child’s sake is absurd? How does this relate to her suggestion that under some circumstances, continuing a pregnancy might violate “norms of responsible creation?”

Not all norms for creation are pro-continuity. Additionally, gestation itself is an endeavor of creation. Therefore, it is only the norms of respect and not morality that determines a person’s decision to continue pregnancy since personhood emerges therefrom.