3 ms·

David Brin starts off one of his articles talking about this: http://www.crackaddict.com/~nalgas/David_Brin-Dogma_of_Otherness_Intro.html http://www.crackaddict

David Brin starts off one of his articles talking about this: http://www.crackaddict.com/~nalgas/David_Brin-Dogma_of_Otherness_Intro.html http://www.crackaddict.com/~nalgas/David_Brin-Dogma_of_Other...

jacquesm 17y ago
That's a really good read. It's interesting how in his interaction with his audience people have an enormous problem letting go of their usual frame of reference. The Dolphin example is a great one because just like with chimps (or pigs!) there is obviously some modicum of intelligence there, it's an alien one because of the lack of shared references but it comes with all the ethical issues that the discovery of an extra-terristrial species of similar capability would have. I'm pretty sure that there are some ethical lines that you probably shouldn't cross with any creature, intelligent or not, and we're a long way away from even establishing those boundaries (as per our imagined feelings placing ourselves in the shoes of the subject). Dolphins are mammals, have adapted to living immersed in a 3D salt water environment, I wonder how we'd feel if they would be able to communicate and declared that henceforth ships are to pay toll or else :) It would be a sad day for biologists and there would be a glut of Dolphin steak if our past with other species is any lesson.
- philk 17y ago
  I'm not sure you can beat up on humans alone for exterminating species, after all, species have gone extinct before humanity. We are substantially better at wiping out other species but that's more due to our technological advancement than any extra maliciousness on our part.
- rms 17y ago
  It would be dolphin steak mislabeled as some other kind of meat... because of their place at the top of the food chain, dolphin meat is dangerously high in mercury.

3 ms·

David Brin starts off one of his articles talking about this: http://www.crackaddict.com/~nalgas/David_Brin-Dogma_of_Otherness_Intro.html http://www.crackaddict

by randallsquared 17y ago

jacquesm 17y ago
That's a really good read. It's interesting how in his interaction with his audience people have an enormous problem letting go of their usual frame of reference. The Dolphin example is a great one because just like with chimps (or pigs!) there is obviously some modicum of intelligence there, it's an alien one because of the lack of shared references but it comes with all the ethical issues that the discovery of an extra-terristrial species of similar capability would have. I'm pretty sure that there are some ethical lines that you probably shouldn't cross with any creature, intelligent or not, and we're a long way away from even establishing those boundaries (as per our imagined feelings placing ourselves in the shoes of the subject). Dolphins are mammals, have adapted to living immersed in a 3D salt water environment, I wonder how we'd feel if they would be able to communicate and declared that henceforth ships are to pay toll or else :) It would be a sad day for biologists and there would be a glut of Dolphin steak if our past with other species is any lesson.
- philk 17y ago
  I'm not sure you can beat up on humans alone for exterminating species, after all, species have gone extinct before humanity. We are substantially better at wiping out other species but that's more due to our technological advancement than any extra maliciousness on our part.
- rms 17y ago
  It would be dolphin steak mislabeled as some other kind of meat... because of their place at the top of the food chain, dolphin meat is dangerously high in mercury.