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Rights are for humans

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DarthMetaKnight
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19 Jan 2011, 4:54 pm

I think that rights should not be given to non-human entities like animals or the unborn. I believe animals should be treated “humanely” but I do not believe they deserve rights. I do not believe the unborn deserve right either. Kill as many of those as you want. I insist.

Some of you might be wondering what to do if a robot has the intelligence of a human. I say that it is still a robot no matter how smart or humanlike it is. It has no rights. I’m just making that clear in case this becomes an issue when I am old. Same goes for intelligent aliens. I don’t care how intelligent aliens are; they are still animals to me.

I believe it is okay to let some humans go in extreme cases. I consider Baby K to be an extreme enough case. I consider Terry Schaivo to be an extreme enough case. I do not consider low-functioning autism to be an extreme enough case.

Go ahead and call me a baby-killing commie or an animal-hating republican or whatever else you can come up with.


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19 Jan 2011, 4:58 pm

Typical 20th century anthropocentric viewpoint



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20 Jan 2011, 7:53 am

DarthMetaKnight wrote:
I think that rights should not be given to non-human entities like animals or the unborn. I believe animals should be treated “humanely” but I do not believe they deserve rights. I do not believe the unborn deserve right either. Kill as many of those as you want. I insist.

Some of you might be wondering what to do if a robot has the intelligence of a human. I say that it is still a robot no matter how smart or humanlike it is. It has no rights. I’m just making that clear in case this becomes an issue when I am old. Same goes for intelligent aliens. I don’t care how intelligent aliens are; they are still animals to me.

I believe it is okay to let some humans go in extreme cases. I consider Baby K to be an extreme enough case. I consider Terry Schaivo to be an extreme enough case. I do not consider low-functioning autism to be an extreme enough case.

Go ahead and call me a baby-killing commie or an animal-hating republican or whatever else you can come up with.

If they feel, they have rights. Do animals not feel?



ryan93
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20 Jan 2011, 8:24 am

Quote:
Typical 20th century anthropocentric viewpoint


I agree.

Consciousness, or the potential thereof, is the exclusive reason to give anyone/thing rights. We assume that animals are conscious to a degree because we have similar neuroanatomy to them, and consciousness has its seat in the brain. I believe a machine could be sufficiently complex to be aware of itself; what are people but sufficiently complex bio-machines? It is impossible to be immoral towards a light switch or a table, so consciousness is how people generally define what is is moral/immoral/amoral to kill.

There are pretty strong aesthetic reasons not to destroy anyway; why destroy something as complex and amazing as life with indifference? Even if you don't think the unborn are conscious (which I don't, at least in the first trimester), why would you advocate killing them for poops and giggles?


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ruveyn
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20 Jan 2011, 12:46 pm

DarthMetaKnight wrote:
I think that rights should not be given to non-human entities like animals or the unborn. I believe animals should be treated “humanely” but I do not believe they deserve rights. I do not believe the unborn deserve right either. Kill as many of those as you want. I insist.



If we ever meet up with beings who are not human (i.e. do not have our genome) but are sentient, self-aware and intelligent then we ought to regard them as rights bearing beings.

ruveynn



ryan93
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20 Jan 2011, 12:47 pm

hopefully they'll do the same :P


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20 Jan 2011, 1:17 pm

this place is just so full of sick, twisted evil people. I'm beginning to regret coming back.


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20 Jan 2011, 1:24 pm

Hey don't leave, a lot of us, myself included, value your input