7 ms·
Do dolphins have anything interesting to say?
by AshleysBrain 15y ago
Do dolphins have anything interesting to say?
- parfe 15y agoObviously, "So long and thanks for all the fish." But more importantly communication is the first step towards mutual respect if dolphins are sentient.
- ghotli 15y agoA part of me feels like conscious, sentient beings should have equal protection under the law. Just because they don't encode knowledge in written language or make tools like we do doesn't mean that they may be any less sentient.
- dochtman 15y agoDefine conscious, sentient.
- michael_dorfman 15y agoYou can start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience
- pavel_lishin 15y agoSo, which part of you doesn't feel that conscious and sentient beings ought to have equal protection?
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- defen 15y agoThe part that fears a warlike alien civilization.
- ceejayoz 15y agoOur laws already cope with warlike human civilizations, why would an alien one be any different from an equal protection standpoint?
- itistoday2 15y agoIf we ever encounter aliens more intelligent than ourselves, let us hope that we were able to show them that we knew how to treat other intelligent species with whom we cohabit Planet Earth. Otherwise, for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy, you should be OK finding yourself chopped up on a platter, or, enslaved in a zoo to be gawked at. Remember the Golden Rule, and Uncle Ben's words: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Uncle_Ben#.22With_great_power_comes_great_responsibility.22 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Uncle_Ben#.22...
- djcapelis 15y agoThe part that knows some conscious and sentient things are delicious. Barbaric, no?
- epochwolf 15y agoProbably the part that likes to eat meat.
- ghotli 15y agoEh, reasonable. I suppose I meant that I care about it enough to post something on the internet, but only about that much. That's what part of me cares.
- blhack 15y ago"Japan, please stop eating us. We are a peaceful people and just want to play."
- jmags 15y agoAren't dolphins notoriously lascivious? They probably have lots of dirty jokes to share.
- anigbrowl 15y agoIf we establish two-way communication (a big if, given the over-promising that goes on with technology), they could probably share a lot of useful information on the condition of the marine environment and fish stocks, with considerable mutual benefit. Then again, if the the quality of the oceanic ecosystems has plunged as much as we suspect, they might be pretty pissed off with us.
- majmun 15y agoi guess it will be the same as talking to mentally disabled person.