From: Delvieron@aol.com
Date: Fri Dec 03 1999 - 16:37:10 MST
<< he problem here that I foresee is that we (as humans) presumably have
a fairly strong built in respect for other humans (even those we
consider enemies). I don't think this perspective is built in
by default for other species. If we start uplifting many species,
we may find ourselves answering a lot of questions about why we ate,
simply murdered (for sport), or simply destroyed the habitats of so
many of "their kind".>>
I don't know that this will necessarily follow. Uplifted species may feel
more akin to their intellectual peers than their animal antecedents. Likely,
uplifted animals will consider "their kind" as those other members who have
been uplifted. However, they may still feel some nostagia for their roots,
and ask these questions, but I doubt most of them will want to fight over it.
<<I don't think the answer "that we didn't know any better" is
going to satisfy those individuals. And they may not have the
"mutual respect" programming that we have that helps prevent
us (most of the time) from taking out our anger on frustration
on a particular class of other humans.>>
It is true that they may not have the same social behaviors as we do amongst
ourselves, but we should be able to make a rough guess as to what their
pattern of behavior will be. For example, uplifted solitary species will
likely not care what we did to others, whereas a herd animal might be more
concerned. Also, some animals already have social relations with us. Dogs
treat us now as members of the pack, uplifted dogs would probably continue to
do so (though they may be more likely to try for the alpha role<G>). One
other thing to remember is that any uplifted animal is more likely to spend
its developmental years with humans (since we can provide the intellectual
training they can't get in the wild), so as far as genetics allows, their
behavior will be shaped by their experience with us.
<<I'll be happy watching (from a distance) one of the other list
members explain to an uplifted (uncaged) gorilla why it is we
keep so many individuals who look like him locked up in zoos...
Robert >>
I'd be happy to explain it, and if the uplifted gorilla wanted to take
responsibility for his primal brethren, I'd be happy to turn them over to his
care. Of course, I might have some brownie points for having advocated for
banning medical experimentation on the Great Apes<g>.
Glen Finney
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:05:56 MST