Can't think of a good word or term to describe not feeling or thinking [closed]
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4
I'm looking for a word or a term that describes a human who actually can't think. More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc.
Thanks.
For instance:
An embryo hasn't developed _________. An embryo is ________.
single-word-requests
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
closed as primarily opinion-based by lbf, Chappo, Caleb, JJJ, aparente001 May 22 at 20:28
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
|
show 4 more comments
4
I'm looking for a word or a term that describes a human who actually can't think. More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc.
Thanks.
For instance:
An embryo hasn't developed _________. An embryo is ________.
single-word-requests
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
closed as primarily opinion-based by lbf, Chappo, Caleb, JJJ, aparente001 May 22 at 20:28
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
3
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
3
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
5
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59
|
show 4 more comments
4
4
4
1
I'm looking for a word or a term that describes a human who actually can't think. More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc.
Thanks.
For instance:
An embryo hasn't developed _________. An embryo is ________.
single-word-requests
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
I'm looking for a word or a term that describes a human who actually can't think. More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc.
Thanks.
For instance:
An embryo hasn't developed _________. An embryo is ________.
single-word-requests
single-word-requests
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
edited May 17 at 23:22
Andrew Leach♦
80.7k8154259
80.7k8154259
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
asked May 17 at 13:19
Victor SuVictor Su
292
292
closed as primarily opinion-based by lbf, Chappo, Caleb, JJJ, aparente001 May 22 at 20:28
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
closed as primarily opinion-based by lbf, Chappo, Caleb, JJJ, aparente001 May 22 at 20:28
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
3
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
3
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
5
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59
|
show 4 more comments
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
3
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
3
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
5
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
3
3
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
3
3
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
5
5
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59
|
show 4 more comments
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
20
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
|
show 2 more comments
9
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling.
‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason.
2
‘insensate jabbering’
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
add a comment |
4
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
20
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
|
show 2 more comments
20
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
|
show 2 more comments
20
20
20
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
answered May 17 at 13:41
S ConroyS Conroy
3,7481630
3,7481630
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
|
show 2 more comments
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
1
1
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
Warning, this has connotations of lacking intelligence, the meaning regarding senses is secondary and not well known.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 8:09
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
@Ben Voigt. Are you sure? I've never heard or read 'sentience' used like that.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 12:55
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
Yes, that's one of the definitions further down in the link, the etymonline one. It doesn't say 'lacking intelligence', although if you are not capable of conscious perception then you won't be intelligent either, but nor can you be described as stupid. The label doesn't apply. At least that's how I see it.
– S Conroy
May 18 at 15:49
1
1
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
Sorry, I just realized what my actual object to "non-sentient" is, and it is hiding in plain sight there in the definition. An entity doesn't become sentient each morning when it wakes and non-sentient each evening when it falls asleep, sentience is an immutable property. A patient anesthetized on the operating table is still a sentient. Similarly although a human embyro doesn't think or feel, it does have the capacity/potential to do so, therefore it is sentient / has sentience.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 16:05
1
1
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
Right, it has sentient character, just not yet developed. "immature sentience" rather than non-sentient. So sentience would fit into the first blank in the question but non-sentient would not fit into the second.
– Ben Voigt
May 18 at 17:58
|
show 2 more comments
9
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling.
‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason.
2
‘insensate jabbering’
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
add a comment |
9
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling.
‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason.
2
‘insensate jabbering’
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
add a comment |
9
9
9
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling.
‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason.
2
‘insensate jabbering’
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling.
‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason.
2
‘insensate jabbering’
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
answered May 17 at 15:31
GerardFallaGerardFalla
975112
975112
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
add a comment |
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
Oh, I hate this. An embryo isn't ready to do 3-D calculus -- but can we really say it doesn't have any physical sensation?
– aparente001
May 22 at 20:30
1
1
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
@aparente001: OP states: "More specifically I'm thinking of a word that describes how embryos don't feel anything or think, etc" - I make no judgement of what they posit (this being English SE, and not a philosophy or meta-ethics SE), hence I am attempting to help OP find le mot juste - and based on the contents of OP's post, I felt this word worth their considering.
– GerardFalla
May 22 at 21:13
1
1
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
From the context, I took that to refer to feeling or not feeling emotions (happy, sad, intrigued, bored, frustrated, etc.), not physical sensation. This is starting to remind me of a tedious argument I got into with a friend on a rainy day about whether cats think. // Do you think embryos lack physical sensation? I don't know what biologists think about that, actually.
– aparente001
May 23 at 17:47
add a comment |
4
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
add a comment |
4
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
add a comment |
4
4
4
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
edited May 21 at 21:09
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
answered May 17 at 22:07
MalcolmMalcolm
24115
24115
add a comment |
add a comment |
Welcome to ELU, Victor. I am not sure whether you have looked at ELU's expectations for questions. Any question needs to show what steps have been taken to find out the answer to their own question and to set the question in some sort of context, so that any of us can see the point or purpose of knowing the answer. For example, I might suggest in reply that the word for someone who can neither think nor feel anything (assuming we are talking about a living person) would be 'unconscious'. That is the only state in which the state described could be true. But what, otherwise, do you mean?
– Tuffy
May 17 at 13:42
I edited the post to include an example sentence.
– S Conroy
May 17 at 13:46
3
What about An embryo hasn't developed consciousness / awareness. An embryo is senseless
– enxaneta
May 17 at 15:40
3
@enxaneta post your answer as an answer!
– scohe001
May 17 at 18:27
5
Not to get in to it, but I'd suggest not using senseless due to the potential ambiguity of the word in that specific context...
– BruceWayne
May 17 at 19:59