[X] My Assistant

[Xal]

So, as the title says: Are pokémon people?

Before I start my argument, I want to point out that just because they're not human it shouldn't necessarily mean they're not people. The definition may include being human depending upon which dictionary you use but that's most likely because, as far as we know, all people are humans and vice versa. Describing a person as 'human' gets the point across much more easily than all the philosophical conditions of being a person (which are a matter of opinion and up for debate). Imagine a race from a sci-fi show; it would make sense to say that they're not human, but I'm sure many would agree it would be wrong to say they aren't people. Similarly, I'm sure there are cases where it could be said a human isn't actually a person. If I were to grow a human body in a lab, completely fulfilling the biological definition of a human but having no consciousness nor a potential to ever be conscious, it would be understandable if people said it wasn't a person.

I'm not entirely sure what we can accurately define being a person as. Two things that I think are important though are having a mind and having a highly developed intelligence (how intelligent something needs to be before it is classed as a person, however, I don't know). Whatever the definition is, pokémon (at least some of them) seem to fulfil it. Mewtwo, for example, seems as much of a person as any human being does. He talks, has dreams, and is at least as intelligent as humans. That may suggest that perhaps powerful pokémon like him are people, but then again even other talking pokémon seem like people too. Slowking and even Meowth, for example, can talk and appear to be people. Personally, I think this shows that even the less advanced pokémon show the qualities required to be a person, but without being able to speak we don't notice that. Alternatively, the fact they can't speak could just be a sign that they aren't people at all (however, pokémon do speak their own language and the language of other pokémon, and their language appears just as developed as any human one).

For now, that's all I can think of to say. If anyone else has any thoughts, regardless of their position in the debate, I'd love to hear them. For me, I think that most, if not all, pokémon would count as people.

This post has been edited by Xal: Jul 6 2010, 06:42 AM