Posted by In an io9 article discussing scientific ideas that need retirement, Steve Fuller completely misses the point about animals rights:
The fact that claims to ‘animal rights’ carry no sense of reciprocal obligations on the part of the animals towards humans raises question about the activists’ sincerity in appealing to ‘rights’ at all. However, if the activists are sincere, then they should also call for a proactive policy of what the science fiction writer David Brin has termed ‘uplift’, whereby we prioritise research designed to enable cognitively privileged creatures, regardless of material origin, to achieve capacities that enable them to function as peers in what may be regarded as an ‘expanded circle of humanity’. Such research may focus on gene therapy or prosthetic enhancement, but in the end it would inform a ‘Welfare State 2.0’ that takes seriously our obligation to all of those whom we regard as capable of being rendered ‘human’, in the sense of fully autonomous citizens in The Republic of Humanity.
Plainly said: NO! Animals don’t have human rights. And nor should they. Fuller conflates the claims of (most of) those who advocate for animals rights. The intrinsic dignity of an animal, its ‘rights’ as it were, is to be afforded the opportunity to live as closely as possibly to its natural design.
Let dogs run around but don’t let them get hit by cars. Let cows graze, roosters crow, sheep baaaaa and monkeys throw feces. And for Cthulhu’s sake, let the white mice discover the Ultimate Question to the Answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.
There’s an episode of the show Futurama called Mars University that deals with non-animal person-hood. In it, Professor Farnsworth enables an ordinary monkey named Guenter to become hyper-intelligent by wearing an electronium hat. The monkey becomes frustrated and saddened with his new-found intelligence and the responsibility it carries. In the end, the hat becomes damaged, reducing it to half-power. The now-lesser intelligent Guenter enrolls in Business School, becomes head of FOX and lives a happy life.
Intelligence, our definition of sentience if you will, carries with it burdens. Yogi Berra would probably agree that humans are best equipped to deal with question of human sentience. Not other animals.
Yes, of course, we should treat animals with compassion. Lessen their pain and suffering when possible. Even pass stricter regulation of factory farming and experimentation. But that’s it. It would be a disservice to animals to extend to them the rights that humans naturally accord each other.
My Dog’s Contempt for Me
I often ask my dog what he’s thinking. I’ve even tried the Vulcan mind meld. He looks at me and sighs. I may use words that describe human emotions to describe his behavior but that doesn’t fall outside the normal range of canine behavior. He’s a dog. I treat him like a dog. He doesn’t have to study for the PMP exam. He likes to sniff grass and wag his tail.
