Lady parts and baby parts: what is a fetus?

Boyle, Alexandria ORCID: 0000-0001-8827-5479 (2025) Lady parts and baby parts: what is a fetus? Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. ISSN 0031-8205

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Abstract

A common-sense view of mammalian pregnancy treats the fetus as (a) an organism and (b) co-extensive with the approximately baby-shaped entity developing in the uterus. In this paper, I draw on metabolic accounts of the organism to show that (a) and (b) cannot both be correct: either the fetus is not an organism, or it is considerably more extensive than we tend to think, overlapping considerably—perhaps completely—with its mother. Although other accounts of organisms may have different consequences, I argue that they are all likely to put pressure on the idea that the fetus is a roughly baby-shaped organism. I show that this has consequences for understanding the metaphysics of birth, our nature and persistence, and the ethical dynamics of pregnancy.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2025 15:57
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2025 13:54
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129810

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