human embryo

A word on human embryos. What is a human embryo? Is it a thing? No, embryo is a stage of development. It is a term for a stage of development identical to infant, toddler, adolescent and such. A human embryo is a human being at an early stage of his/her life. The word “ontology” is helpful here.

Ontology- the study of existence or being.

Does an embryo exist?

What is a human embryo? A developing human being. A human embryo doesn’t develop into a rabbit or a squirrel. Rabbit embryos are developing rabbits, and squirrel embryos are developing squirrels. A human embryo is a developing human. This distinction is important. Why?

We hear the phrase, “potential human being” used for human embryos, but that is incorrect terminology, ontologically. Embryo is a stage of development, and so a human embryo is ontologically a “human being with potential,” or more specifically a human embryo is a human being at the embryonic stage of development with potential, like a human being at the infancy stage with potential.