> which is enough to ensure that it will be able to acquire any rights that it deserves as a conscious being. IMHO there's no current expectation that there ar

> which is enough to ensure that it will be able to acquire any rights that it deserves as a conscious being. IMHO there's no current expectation that there are any significant rights deserved for all conscious beings. Rights are a construct by a human society for members of that human society; and if we look at the rights we award to entities which IMHO are "as conscious as humans" such as elephants or dolphins, it seems that the current bundle of rights a conscious non-human entity deserves is essentially limited to not torture it needlessly (i.e. if human needs justify hurting or killing them, that's accepted, but minimize the suffering) and that's about it. We do strive to preserve the species, but that's not because they're conscious but because because we humans value diversity; but they certainly don't get a right to life or liberty or self-determination or freedom or dignity or having a say in our society or equality - well, at least not right now; the bar for all these rights currently is "be human".