From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Thu Oct 05 2000 - 15:18:37 MDT
Christian Weisgerber wrote:
>
> [Non-member submission]
>
> <hal@finney.org> wrote:
>
> > In David Brin's novels it is for ethical reasons, I think. We do it
> > to improve the lives of animals, because greater intelligence is a
> > good thing.
>
> Hmmm.
> But Uplifting doesn't simply improve the live of a species, it
> completely alters it. In fact, I'm inclined to argue that it
> destroys the species and replaces it by a different one. The
> ethical complications are tremendous.
>
>
How does this ethical complication actually operate? Is there a claim
that whatever one's species and its limitations that any changes to
overcome those limitations are somehow unethical? By what standards?
What about changes one volunteers for? If we are raising the IQ of say
a dog, then I would presume the ethical implications are more centered
around what that much brighter and presumably aware dog's rights and
what the initial dog's rights are to simply be left alone. Anything
else?
- samantha
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