Volume 80, 2006
Intelligence and the Philosophy of Mind
Anthony Kenny
Pages 29-38
The Beginning of Individual Human Life
This paper explores the issue of when human life begins, giving special attention to the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas’s position is contrasted with the position defended by many Catholics today. After considering the evidence and a variety of arguments, the paper suggests that the individuated human being begins to exist at roughly fourteen days after the moment of conception.