# What distinguishes people and animals, what makes a human into a person?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-people-and-animals-what-makes-a-human-into-a-person/56509
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [March 2, 2001, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-people-and-animals-what-makes-a-human-into-a-person/56509 "2001-03-02T15:47:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![Holly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/48db29/32.png) [@Holly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Holly)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-people-and-animals-what-makes-a-human-into-a-person/56509/21 "2001-03-04T17:55:29Z")

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But not _all_ people are able to formulate and ask the question. I would wager that most humans do not.

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### Author: ![snuffafluffagus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@snuffafluffagus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snuffafluffagus)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-people-and-animals-what-makes-a-human-into-a-person/56509/22 "2001-03-05T00:26:30Z")

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The must be some kind of difference between the word human and person. Human the same as Homo sapiens, as if its simply tag for our species. Of course we’re all human. I think even Singer would agree.

But when do we attain personhood? At conception? At Birth? at 1 month? Is a comatose human a person? AND

Has an animal ever achieved personhood?

Hope this will be a springboard for new ideas. All are of value.

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