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Non-human rights and relations

Started by Byronazriel, March 28, 2011, 11:45:21 PM

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Byronazriel

I've been thinking about this lately, and would like to get your thoughts on the matter.

Should non-humans (Of comparable intelligence, sentience, and/or sapience.) have the same rights as us? If yes, do you think that they would get their rights in the eyes of the people/government should the situation arise? If not, why not?

I have the belief that aliens, as in life from other worlds, should have similar rights to what they would have if born here.

Self-aware clones should have equal rights. Robots should have their own rights, perhaps modified to include protection against (Nonconsensual) reprogramming, deletion, hacking, and whatever.

Would you allow your (Actual or hypothetical) child to date a clone, a robot, or an alien? Could you ever consider them to be a part of the family?
"You are trying to understand madness with logic. This is not unlike searching for darkness with a torch." -Jervis Tetch

Will

Equal rights to all sentient beings makes the most sense to me. Beyond that, all life should be afforded certain rights, like the right not to be needlessly tortured by a sentient. The ultimate question, however is how to define and quantify sentience in a way that can be as broadly applicable as is fair. We can't do that until we can sit down with other sentients and hash it out.

That's why I look forward to the day mankind makes contact with non-human sentient beings, like extraterrestrials.
I want bad people to look forward to and celebrate the day I die, because if they don't, I'm not living up to my potential.

MikeyV

Quote from: "Will"That's why I look forward to the day mankind makes contact with non-human sentient beings, like extraterrestrials.

We'll make great pets.

(Tell me you didn't see that one coming.)
Life in Lubbock, Texas taught me two things. One is that God loves
you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the
most awful, dirty thing on the face of the earth and you should save
it for someone you love.
   
   -- Butch Hancock.

fester30

If I had a daughter, she could date a clone/robot/alien so long as they were incapable of sex.  When it comes to humans, she will be able to date at 30... 29 if chaperoned.  If I have a son, when he turns 16 I'll give him the keys to the car, a box of condoms, and tell him "knock yourself out."  The world is beautiful when double standards are applied.

jumbojak

I am not sure if non-humans should be given human rights. It would seem that any sentient being would be able to propose a moral system appropropriate for their society. While I do believe there is such a thing as objective morality I think that those moral values which we may call objective are those values we would impose upon society if we were unaware of what our position in that society would be.

Perhaps the aliens would, for biological or other reasons, find it unproductive to classify all members of their society equally. Imagine a super intelligent race of ants. Would they individually desire equal rights for all members of their society, or would they be willing to give special priveleges to certain sub-groups in order to ensure the survival of the species as a whole?

For any sentient being it is the rights which they value that must be given to them. Human rights and moral values would be a completley irrelevant standard for them simply because they are not human and would doubtless have different concerns from ours.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz