Zygote

[Wootah]

Every cell in my 47 year old body is doing its best to keep me alive and to divide and split and produce me. This happened from cell 1 to cell 37.2 trillion. All of them, following their programming and making me ongoingly across time.

How is the zygote of a human not a human again?

[Purple Knight]

Prove consciousness exists. Then prove it is relevant. My instinct (lol) is that consciousness is a massive red herring.

What word should I use to describe the fact that an adult human can think, wonder, remember, and at least believes it has a self, whereas a zygote can't possibly do any of that?

If I'm wrong to place the value on that, then why don't people place that value on cacti? And why are there vegetarians who find glimmers of that in animals and protect them, while never supposing that they should protect the cactus?

Clearly there is something beyond just being alive that provides that special value.