Personhood Measure

A Personhood Measure is a evaluative measure that qualifies a cognitive entity into a group of individuals with similar rights and expectations.

• Context:
  • output: a Personhood Score.
  • It can include a Cognitive Assessment to assess reasoning, problem-solving, and consciousness.
  • It can include an Emotional Intelligence Assessment to evaluate emotional depth, empathy, and emotional regulation.
  • It can include a Social Behavior Analysis to oquantify social interactions and relationships.
  • It can include a Moral Agency Assessment to evaluate the ability to make moral decisions and understand ethical principles.
  • It can range from being a Strict Personhood Measure to being a Liberal Personhood Measure, based on the criteria and thresholds used.
  • It can range from being a Normative Personhood Measure to being a Descriptive Personhood Measure, based on whether it prescribes ideal traits or describes observed traits.
  • It can incorporate Ethical Considerationss.
  • It can incorporate Philosophical Criteria.
  • It can be correlated with Legal Personhood Recognition and Rights of an Individual.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Natural Person Personhood Measures, such as:
    • Developmental Personhood Measure for children.
    • Developmental Milestones Checklist for children assesses cognitive, social, and emotional development in human children as indicators of emerging personhood.
  • Legal/Corporate Personhood Measures, such as:
    • Corporate Personhood Evaluation Framework
    • Legal Personhood Analysis for Organizations
  • AI Personhood Measures, such as:
    • Turing Test for AI Personhood
    • AI Sentience and Self-Awareness Battery
  • Hybrid Personhood Measures, such as:
    • Hybrid Personhood Measure (combining natural and legal personhood criteria)
    • Cultural Personhood Measure (based on cultural norms and values)
  • Personhood Measures by Criteria Emphasized:
    • Cognitive Criteria, such as:
      • IQ and Cognitive Ability Tests for natural persons quantify cognitive abilities in humans as a partial measure of personhood.
      • Developmental Personhood Measure assesses individuals or entities based on their growth and progression over time in cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions, including their moral development.
    • Emotional/Psychological Criteria, such as:
      • AI Sentience and Self-Awareness Battery evaluates whether an AI system possesses subjective conscious experiences, self-awareness, and complex emotions.
      • Developmental Milestones Checklist for children assesses cognitive, social, and emotional development in human children as indicators of emerging personhood.
    • Social/Relational Criteria, such as:
      • Cultural Personhood Measure evaluates entities based on cultural norms and values, assessing their contributions to and alignment with societal principles and ethical standards.
      • Developmental milestones (social development)
    • Moral/Ethical Criteria, such as:
      • Corporate Personhood Evaluation Framework analyzes factors like decision-making autonomy, liability, and social responsibility to determine the degree to which a corporation exhibits personhood.
      • AI Personhood Measure evaluates artificial intelligence entities based on their cognitive functions, decision-making abilities, and ethical behaviors, including their interactions with humans.
    • Legal/Rights-based Criteria, such as:
      • Legal Personhood Measure for Corporations assesses corporations' responsibilities and rights, focusing on their ability to engage in legal contracts, liability, and compliance with ethical standards.
      • Legal Personhood Analysis for Organizations examines characteristics like unified decision-making, ability to sue and be sued, and social role fulfillment to determine if an organization qualifies as a legal person.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Superpersonhood Measures, a putative future measure if and when super-intelligences arise.
  • Economic Freedom Measures, which focus solely on economic capabilities and freedoms, not holistic personhood.
  • Human Rights Measures, which primarily assess the recognition and protection of human rights rather than intrinsic characteristics of personhood.
• See: Personhood Criteria, Legal Person, Bioethics, Political, Citizenship, Equality Before The Law, Liberty, Legal Person, Natural Person, Juridical Person, Rights, Legal Personhood, Personhood and Dementia, Fetal Personhood, Personhood and Abortion, Moral Personhood, Corporate Personhood, Personhood of Primates.

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References

2024

• LLM
  • ... various philosophical, legal, and practical considerations:
    • 1. Moral considerability: Personhood Measures help determine which entities are morally considerable and deserve ethical treatment. By defining the criteria for personhood, we can establish the scope of our moral circle and identify which beings warrant moral rights, protections, and consideration.
    • 2. Legal rights and responsibilities: Legally, personhood is often a prerequisite for granting certain rights, privileges, and legal protections. It also comes with responsibilities and accountability. Defining legal personhood helps establish which entities can enter into contracts, own property, sue or be sued, and be held liable for their actions.
    • 3. Social and political inclusion: Personhood Measures have social and political implications for defining who counts as a member of society and qualifies for inclusion, representation, and participation. Historically, personhood has been denied to marginalized groups, so defining personhood has been crucial for social justice and equality movements.
    • 4. Resource allocation and conflict resolution: In situations of conflict or competing interests, Personhood Measures provide a basis for adjudicating disputes and allocating resources. They help navigate tradeoffs and prioritize the needs and rights of those who meet the criteria for personhood.
    • 5. Psychological and emotional impact: Psychologically, recognizing an entity as a person can evoke greater empathy, emotional connection, and moral concern. Personhood Measures shape our perceptions of which beings are worthy of care, compassion, and psychological investment.
    • 6. Existential and metaphysical implications: Philosophically, Personhood Measures grapple with fundamental questions about the nature of existence, consciousness, and what it means to be a "self". Defining the boundaries of personhood has existential and metaphysical implications for understanding our place in the universe.

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personhood Retrieved:2024-6-3.
  • Personhood is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law and is closely tied with legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. According to law, only a legal person (either a natural or a juridical person) has rights, protections, privileges, responsibilities, and legal liability. Personhood continues to be a topic of international debate and has been questioned critically during the abolition of human and nonhuman slavery, in debates about abortion and in fetal rights and/or reproductive rights, in animal rights activism, in theology and ontology, in ethical theory, and in debates about corporate personhood, and the beginning of human personhood. In the 21st century, corporate personhood is an existing Western concept; granting non-human entities personhood, which has also been referred to a "personhood movement", can bridge Western and Indigenous legal systems. Processes through which personhood is recognized socially and legally vary cross-culturally, demonstrating that notions of personhood are not universal. Anthropologist Beth Conklin has shown how personhood is tied to social relations among the Wari' people of Rondônia, Brazil. Bruce Knauft's studies of the Gebusi people of Papua New Guinea depict a context in which individuals become persons incrementally, again through social relations. Likewise, Jane C. Goodale has also examined the construction of personhood in Papua New Guinea.

2024

• Perplexity
  • Personhood is a multifaceted concept that encompasses various definitions and interpretations across different fields such as philosophy, law, and ethics.
    1. General Definition: Personhood refers to the state or condition of being a person. It involves the recognition of an individual as having certain characteristics and rights that are typically associated with being human.
    2. Philosophical Perspective: In philosophy, personhood is often debated in terms of what constitutes a person. Common criteria include rationality, consciousness, self-awareness, use of language, ability to initiate action, moral agency, and intelligence. Philosophers also discuss whether personhood can exist in degrees, suggesting that some beings might be partial persons.
    3. Legal Perspective: Legally, personhood is the status granted to an entity that allows it to have rights, protections, privileges, responsibilities, and legal liability. This can include natural persons (human beings) and juridical persons (such as corporations). Legal definitions of personhood can vary significantly across different jurisdictions and contexts, particularly in debates about abortion, fetal rights, and corporate personhood.
    4. Moral and Ethical Perspective: In biomedical ethics, personhood is crucial in discussions about abortion, stem-cell research, and euthanasia. Moral personhood denotes beings who are capable of moral agency, meaning their actions can be evaluated as moral or immoral.
    5. Cultural and Social Contexts: The recognition of personhood can vary across cultures. For example, some societies may attribute personhood incrementally based on social relations and developmental stages, as seen in studies of the Wari' people of Brazil and the Gebusi people of Papua New Guinea.
    6. Existential vs. Relational Constructs: There are competing views on personhood. The existential construct posits that personhood is an inherent and essential characteristic of human beings, independent of societal recognition. In contrast, the relational construct views personhood as a conditional state defined by societal norms and perceptions.
  • In summary, personhood is a complex and debated concept that involves legal, philosophical, moral, and cultural dimensions, each contributing to our understanding of what it means to be a person.
  • Citations:

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/personhood
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personhood
[3] https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/personhood
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6081772/
[5] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/personhood 

2024

• Perplexity
  • The concept of personhood is multifaceted and varies across different contexts, including natural persons, corporations, and artificial intelligences (AIs). Here is a detailed overview of how personhood is evaluated and recognized in these different domains:
  • Developmental Personhood Measure for Children

- **Developmental Milestones Checklist**: This tool assesses cognitive, social, and emotional development in children. It includes:

 - **Cognitive Assessment**: Evaluates reasoning, problem-solving, and consciousness.
 - **Emotional Intelligence Assessment**: Measures emotional depth, empathy, and emotional regulation.
 - **Social Behavior Analysis**: Quantifies social interactions and relationships.
 - **Moral Agency Assessment**: Evaluates the ability to make moral decisions and understand ethical principles.

• • Corporate Personhood Evaluation Framework

- **Historical and Theoretical Developments**: Corporate personhood has evolved from concerns about property and contract interests of shareholders to include rights related to searches, trials, and commercial and political speech[1][6]. - **Hybrid Theory**: This theory acknowledges that corporations have rights that belong only to the corporation itself, and these rights are necessary for the corporation to function effectively in the legal and economic system[4]. - **Constitutional Protections**: Corporations have been granted various constitutional rights, such as free speech and religious expression, as seen in landmark cases like *Citizens United v. FEC* and *Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores*[9][12].

• • Turing Test for AI Personhood

- **Cognitive Assessment**: Evaluates the AI's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. - **AI Sentience and Self-Awareness Battery**: Measures the AI's self-awareness, understanding of its environment, and ability to make autonomous decisions[2][5][8].

• • Legal Personhood Analysis for AI

- **Cluster Property Theory**: This theory suggests that if an AI can function as a legal person, it can be granted legal personhood on similar grounds as a human collectivity. This includes the capacity to own property, enter contracts, and be held liable for actions[8][11]. - **Ethical and Legal Considerations**: The debate around AI personhood involves ethical questions about the moral value of AIs, their responsibility, and their role in commercial transactions. Legal personhood for AI would require addressing issues of liability, agency, and the extent of rights and protections[2][5][8].

• • Ethical and Philosophical Considerations

- **Existential vs. Relational Personhood**: Existential personhood views personhood as intrinsic to human life, while relational personhood sees it as dependent on societal recognition and interaction[3][10]. - **Legal and Moral Agency**: Legal personhood involves the capacity to hold rights and duties, while moral personhood involves the ability to engage in moral or immoral behavior and make ethical decisions[10][11].

• • Conclusion: Personhood measures vary significantly depending on the context and the entity being evaluated. For natural persons, developmental milestones and cognitive assessments are key. For corporations, legal frameworks and constitutional protections define personhood. For AIs, cognitive abilities and ethical considerations play a crucial role. Each domain requires a tailored approach to evaluate and recognize personhood, incorporating both legal and philosophical criteria.
  • Citations:

[1] https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3566&context=faculty_scholarship
[2] https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/artificial-intelligence-and-personhood-interplay-of-agency-and-liability
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6081772/
[4] https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1752&context=nlj
[5] https://www.yalelawjournal.org/forum/the-ethics-and-challenges-of-legal-personhood-for-ai
[6] https://www.purduegloballawschool.edu/blog/news/corporate-personhood
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personhood
[8] https://academic.oup.com/book/35026/chapter/298856312
[9] https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/CBLR/announcement/view/672
[10] https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/personhood
[11] https://academic.oup.com/book/35026/chapter/298855652
[12] https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/we-the-people/we-the-people-corporations/
[13] https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-constitutions-93c27f3132ecc78e913120fe4d6c0977
[14] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/29/closer-look-state-personhood-laws/

2016

• https://youtu.be/GxM9BZeRrUI
• A Personhood Measure using genetic criteria defines a person as any being with human DNA, but this can include non-persons like cells and corpses.
• A Personhood Measure based on cognitive criteria considers consciousness, reasoning, self-motivated activity, capacity to communicate, and self-awareness as essential factors.
• A Personhood Measure that relies on the social criterion states that a person is recognized as such by society or by being cared for by someone.
• A Personhood Measure focused on sentience determines personhood by the ability to feel pleasure and pain, extending personhood to many animals while excluding early fetuses and individuals in vegetative states.
• A Personhood Measure according to the genetic criterion is simple but problematic, as it can classify non-person entities like mouth cells as persons.
• A Personhood Measure following Mary Ann Warren's cognitive criteria may exclude young children and fetuses from being considered persons.
• A Personhood Measure rooted in social recognition can exclude individuals without social ties from personhood.
• A Personhood Measure by Peter Singer emphasizes sentience, prioritizing beings' capacity to suffer over their species classification.
• A Personhood Measure using the gradient theory suggests personhood is not binary but exists in degrees, increasing with cognitive development and potentially decreasing with cognitive loss.

2018

• (Gordon, 2018) ⇒ Gwendolyn J. Gordon. (2018). "Environmental Personhood.” In: Colum. J. Envtl. L. 43, 49.
  • QUOTE: “… legal personhood has struck observers as a promising tool for protecting nature - an idea overdue given the now seemingly unexceptional nature of corporate personhood … personhood is …”
  • NOTE: It examines the concept of environmental personhood, proposing it as a tool for nature protection analogous to corporate personhood.

1988

• (Dennett, 1988) ⇒ Daniel Dennett. (1988). "Conditions of Personhood.” In: What is a Person?, pp. 145-167. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
  • QUOTE: “… personhood is a necessary condition of moral personhood … to identify a necessary condition of personhood, and each, I think, a … are necessary conditions of moral personhood, and third, …”
  • NOTE: It discusses the necessary conditions of moral personhood, identifying multiple conditions essential for defining personhood.

1981

• (Sapontzis, 1981) ⇒ Steve F. Sapontzis. (1981). "A Critique of Personhood.” In: Ethics 91, no. 4, 607-618.
  • QUOTE: “… involving personhood commonly employ both moral and metaphysical concepts of personhood. … The moral and metaphysical concepts of personhood can thus be distinguished by their …”
  • NOTE: It critiques the concepts of personhood, distinguishing between moral and metaphysical aspects.

1982

• (Radin, 1982) ⇒ Margaret Jane Radin. (1982). "Property and Personhood.” In: Stanford Law Review, 957-1015.
  • QUOTE: “… personhood perspective can help decide specific disputes between rival claimants. Positive analysis will attempt to demonstrate that the personhood … of the personhood perspective and …”
  • NOTE: It explores the personhood perspective in legal contexts, analyzing its role in resolving disputes between claimants.

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