Lady parts and baby parts: what is a foetus?

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

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Abstract

A common-sense view of mammalian pregnancy treats the foetus 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) can’t both be correct: either the foetus is not an organism, or it is considerably more extensive than we tend to think, overlapping considerably – perhaps completely – with its mother. Whilst other accounts of organisms may have different consequences, I argue that they are all likely to put pressure on the idea that the foetus 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
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2025 15:57
Last Modified:	15 Oct 2025 15:57
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129810

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