Carbon chauvinism

<p>Carbon chauvinism is a <a href="/facts/Neologism/vlq6w82X">neologism</a> meant to disparage the assumption that the chemical processes of hypothetical <a href="/facts/Extraterrestrial_life/arxCPFTQ">extraterrestrial life</a> must be constructed primarily from <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbon</a> (<a href="/facts/Organic_compound/gqCNaN45">organic compounds</a>) because as far as is known, carbon's chemical and <a href="/facts/Thermodynamics/q4hIx3yP">thermodynamic</a> properties render it far superior to all other elements at forming molecules used in living organisms.
</p><p>The expression "carbon chauvinism" is also used to criticize the idea that <a href="/facts/Artificial_intelligence/lJGauQwX">artificial intelligence</a> cannot in theory be <a href="/facts/Sentience/LQwKbI6F">sentient</a> or truly intelligent because the underlying matter is not biological. Furthermore, the term is used by <a href="/facts/Transhumanism/lTkdgFLo">transhumanists</a> to object to the commonly held view that life has an inherently higher <a href="/facts/Moral_value/VW3CJD2x">moral value</a> than hypothetical <a href="/facts/Artificial_consciousness/JWjqEWFc">artificial consciousness</a>.
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Carbon chauvinism open-in-new

Carbon chauvinism