Watching Avatar and District 9 has made me curious as to where in the animal kingdom do we draw the line as to which creatures deserve to be protected by the NAP and which creatures are free to be consumed or killed? Must the creature display intelligence to the human level?
shazam: Watching Avatar and District 9 has made me curious as to where in the animal kingdom do we draw the line as to which creatures deserve to be protected by the NAP and which creatures are free to be consumed or killed? Must the creature display intelligence to the human level?
Some humans don't display intelligence to the human level.
The fallacies of intellectual communism, a compilation - On the nature of power
In my opinion, it's far more likely that Neanderthal cloning and organ farms will bring this sort of issue to light than science fiction scenarios like Avatar or District 9. But as for my own thoughts: A creature would have to demonstrate sapience, the ability to make rational decisions and to ignore it's own base instincts, in order to be classified as a person.
i don't understand why this is difficult. yes i'm being blunt and this thread may run miles long.
if a creature doesn't understand, and due to their specie will never understand what an 'NAP' is, then there is no way to get such a creature to understand the NAP and thereby the creature will not follow what the NAP is. As a species, humans, ie. children, or mentality/physically handicapped - as a specie - is able understand and come to an understanding what the NAP is. Whether it is a child or a man of twenty, in time, with debate and the educated tools to read, spell, and in time observe an NAP action, such a person will be able to have the concept of what the NAP is. It is possible that a mentally handicap person due to being of the human specie will have this ability to understand what an NAP is. Other species will not know what an NAP is and if they show any signs, say for instance one individual of such a species actually is able to state what an NAP is and thereby show it in action, then such a creature not only understands what an NAP is but can act an NAP.
shazam:Watching Avatar and District 9 has made me curious as to where in the animal kingdom do we draw the line as to which creatures deserve to be protected by the NAP and which creatures are free to be consumed or killed? Must the creature display intelligence to the human level?
Obviously an alien race would need to show some form of intelligence to be able to travel through space to run into humankind.
'Men do not change, they unmask themselves' - Germaine de Stael
Agents that can participate in society are so-called 'moral agents'. An agent is a being that can act. The second quality is that the agent should be able to understand the consequences of its actions. Finally, and most importantly, it should be capable to act in such a way as to not hurt other moral agents (other participants of society), or their property.
If an intelligent species were to arrive on earth, they would most likely be peaceful. It is hard to imagine how an unpeaceful group of individuals would ever develop the technology required for such a journey. Secondly, technological advances make the spread of information easy so that good ideas beat bad ideas; and so peaceful and productive ideas would have long beaten unpeaceful and destructive ideas. In that case there would be no reason to regard such individuals as anything less than human societal participants; and so inter-species societal integration is entirely possible.
http://www.vforvoluntary.com/wiki/MoralityFromASocietalPerspective
If a being can participate to the division of labor, it will deserve to be treated as an equal.
Merlin: If a being can participate to the division of labor, it will deserve to be treated as an equal.
Just to play devil's advocate, would that mean that beasts of burden would have to given equal rights?
shazam: Just to play devil's advocate, would that mean that beasts of burden would have to given equal rights?
Good question. Theoretically, oxen are capital, not labor, hence can’t participate to the division of labor. On practical terms…I have no idea of how can capital be discerned from labor.
Personally, I think we have it backwards. I believe our chemical bodies were meant to eat a large helping of vegetables/fruits with a small portion of meat and such.
What do you mean protected? By force using a government?
Most people here, at least myself, don't believe government should exist.
"It is hard to imagine how an unpeaceful group of individuals would ever develop the technology required for such a journey."
Well, we might acquire such technology from crashed aliens. And we are not peaceful.
limitgov: Personally, I think we have it backwards. I believe our chemical bodies were meant to eat a large helping of vegetables/fruits with a small portion of meat and such. What do you mean protected? By force using a government? Most people here, at least myself, don't believe government should exist.
I mean that if you killed some being, would your DRO make you pay restitution to the family of the being, like you would a human, or would you be able to have the being for dinner, as you would the rest of the animal kingdom.
Well, as with almost everything this one too would have to be left for the DRO market to clear up. Whatever proves to be the most profitable solution will be adopted.
shazam: I mean that if you killed some being, would your DRO make you pay restitution to the family of the being, like you would a human, or would you be able to have the being for dinner, as you would the rest of the animal kingdom.
whwn you say killed a "being" you mean an alien being?
if so, I would assume you would need to grovel to the other alien beings...because if they can get here, they are much more advanced/powerful than we are....