A hypothetical question

[Segovia]

Lets say that you are a theist and cloning technologies advanced to the point where you can clone humans perfectly. If you clone a copy of a human that was equal to its original; do you clone the soul as well?

[Doc Sigma]

My answer depends on the rules of this hypothetical world... but in my opinion, you would have created a soulless human, since only God can give a soul to a creature. Unless the soul is some sort of physical organ, or something, but that would seem to take God out of the equation, which doesn't really make sense in this situation. I think, anyway. When you say "you are a theist", are we also assuming that God undeniably exists in the world of this question? If so, this is my answer... if not, I'll need to think about it a lot more.

[Segovia]

I guess I do have make this clearer. In this world God undeniably exists.

My thought is if the clone doesn't have a soul then shouldn't it not care or feel when it is believed that all of that comes from the soul.

[Bocaj Claw]

Animals care and feel and according to the Catholics at least are as soulless as a doorknob.

As far as I'm aware, cloning works by combining DNA of the person you want to clone with an egg cell. Therefore there's conception of sorts. If twins both have souls then a clone would because its biologically like an identical twin. If a clone wouldn't have a soul, you have to wonder if artificially inseminated or test tube babies have souls.

[bad ass antelope]

For that matter, what about asian people?

[Muninn]

Does the ability to care or feel derive from a soul though? I mean, people who engage in hedge funds obviously care about some stuff but they are undeniably soulless individuals.

[Gecko]

Animals care and feel and according to the Catholics at least are as soulless as a doorknob.

As far as I'm aware, cloning works by combining DNA of the person you want to clone with an egg cell. Therefore there's conception of sorts. If twins both have souls then a clone would because its biologically like an identical clone. If a clone wouldn't have a soul, you have to wonder if artificially inseminated or test tube babies have souls.

I am Gecko, and I approve of this post.

[Doc Sigma]

Does the ability to care or feel derive from a soul though? I mean, people who engage in hedge funds obviously care about some stuff but they are undeniably soulless individuals.

I think they actually do have souls, but they're tiny and withered and covered with dust...

[Bocaj Claw]

For that matter, what about asian people?

Asians get cooler souls than we do. Their souls shoot lasers.

[Comrade K]

For that matter, what about asian people?

Asians get cooler souls than we do. Their souls shoot lasers.

From Mechs.

[bad ass antelope]

I thought they didn't have souls, and instead they have an extra, metaphysical brain taking that place? hence the super intelligence (godzilla, anyone?)

[Segovia]

Animals care and feel and according to the Catholics at least are as soulless as a doorknob.

As far as I'm aware, cloning works by combining DNA of the person you want to clone with an egg cell. Therefore there's conception of sorts. If twins both have souls then a clone would because its biologically like an identical twin. If a clone wouldn't have a soul, you have to wonder if artificially inseminated or test tube babies have souls.

I also wonder if c-section babies are even officially born.

[bad ass antelope]

yes.

[Bocaj Claw]

Animals care and feel and according to the Catholics at least are as soulless as a doorknob.

As far as I'm aware, cloning works by combining DNA of the person you want to clone with an egg cell. Therefore there's conception of sorts. If twins both have souls then a clone would because its biologically like an identical twin. If a clone wouldn't have a soul, you have to wonder if artificially inseminated or test tube babies have souls.

I also wonder if c-section babies are even officially born.

Not according to Macbeth. No man of woman born.

[Steve the Pocket]

I remember reading a book that made the case that identical twins (we can only hope) both have distinct souls, and clones are little more than human-made identical twins.

And as for whether being "human-made" makes a difference, well, babies are about as human-made as it gets! Made from human and nothing else!