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golergka | karma 8291 | avg karma 1.31 · 2015-11-23 09:12:33

Interesting discussion. What's the definition of "fixed" and "broken" you're implicitly using in your argument?

mreiland | karma 430 | avg karma 0.66 · 2015-11-23 11:40:49

stop worrying about definitions, it's a question of intent and life satisfaction for people.

What category someone on the internet wants to file that under is irrelevant.

golergka | karma 8291 | avg karma 1.31 · 2015-11-24 01:19:11

I don't really care about practical implications of such discussion. On the contrary, these definitions seem to be an interesting philosophical topic.

zeveb | karma 8317 | avg karma 2.51 · 2015-11-23 20:09:07+00:00

> What's the definition of "fixed" and "broken" you're implicitly using in your argument?

Functionally according to its function. One's digestive organs are meant to digest; one's reproductive organs are meant to reproduce. Reproductive organs which can't reproduce are broken: fixing ones which are broken is indeed healthcare, while breaking ones which are fully-functioning is an elective procedure.

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golergka | karma 8291 | avg karma 1.31 · 2015-11-24 07:17:42+00:00

But "function" only exists for something that was created by intellectual being with a goal in mind. How can you define "function" for something that evolved naturally?

zeveb | karma 8317 | avg karma 2.51 · 2015-11-24 14:35:24+00:00

> But "function" only exists for something that was created by intellectual being with a goal in mind.

That doesn't bother me, since I think it's pretty obvious that there must be a prime mover of some sort.

> How can you define "function" for something that evolved naturally?

What it does. A kidney filters blood (and performs some other functions as well): a kidney which doesn't filter blood is obviously unhealthy. A heart pumps blood: a heart which fails to pump blood is obviously unhealthy. Gonads produce reproductive cells and introduce them to sexual partners: a set of gonads which don't produce such cells, or fail to introduce them to sexual partners, is obviously unhealthy.

At a higher level, an organism is a mechanism for propagating genes. An organism which propagates its genes fulfills its function; one which does not fails to fulfill its function (note that ensuring the propagation of one's relatives' similar genes can count as a partial fulfillment at least).

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