Baronvonrort wrote on Feb 10
th, 2014 at 10:38am:
Please cite this scientific definition of a child if it exists from a reputable scientific source.
A child is someone not yet an adult. Scientifically a child is a person that has not reached the age that they can sexually reproduce:
Quote:Biologically, an adult is a human being or other organism that has reached sexual maturity...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult
The idea of adulthood not being obtained till later is a recent social construct not based on science at all:
Quote:After the social construct of adolescence was created, adulthood split into two forms: biological adulthood and social adulthood. Thus, there are now two primary forms of adults: biological adults (people who have attained reproductive ability, are fertile, or who evidence secondary sex characteristics) and social adults (people who are recognized by their culture and/or law as being adults).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult
'Social adulthood' is just an imaginary barrier put in place by society and can be changed according to the whims of the people in the society or its law-makers.
Biological adulthood is fixed to being the point when it could be scientifically observed that a person is capable of sexual reproduction - such as the onset of menstruation.