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Originally Posted by yaaarrrgg  Let's assume humans have rights. Humans are a kind of animal. So it follows that some animals have rights.
So then, what is the difference(s) that qualifies some animals as having more or less rights than others?
IOW, suppose I'm an alien and randomingly beam up an animal from another planet. What characteristics (if any) allow it to be "probed"?  |
Well, first of all it does not follow. Cats have tails. Cats are a kind of animal. Does it follow that all animals have tails? Certainly not.
Anyway, humans tend to value the rights of those creatures that are more like to them, especially when it comes to the brain and mind. Monkeys are more similar to humans than cats, so we tend to respect monkey rights more than feline rights. Cats are more like us than lizards, so we respect cats more than lizards. Lizards are more like us than fish, so we respect lizards more than fish. Fish are more like us than bugs, so we respect fish more than bugs.
All of this has a very obvious evolutionary explanation: all creatures endeavor to preserve their own genes, and the more an animal is like us, the more we should desire to preserve its genes. Unfortunately, that is also the cause of problems like racism.
As for animals from other planets... this truly is an interesting question. Genetically speaking, they are probably going to be less like us than even fish, but people don't actually base their judgment on genes but rather through evolutionary circumstances. Since there have never been alien life forms on Earth throughout our evolutionary history, we cannot think in terms of similarity/differences (we are not 'designed' for it, so to speak). Instead, it is likely that a human will look at an alien creature and say 'This creature appears to be very intelligent; it has culture and science. This makes this creature more like us than cats, and so it should have more rights.' Biologically, it makes no sense, but this is a likely reasoning.