From: Randall Randall (wolfkin@freedomspace.net)
Date: Sat Jan 09 1999 - 16:13:23 MST
On Sat, 09 Jan 1999, Samael tempted me with this question:
>The majority of extropians on this list are in favour of perfect human
>inviolability (ie people never have the right to affect another person
>without their permission - except in self defence).
Yes, I'd agree with that.
>I'd be interested to hear peoples opinions on the rights of animals. Do you
>believe that animals have no rights and can be ignored, that animals have a
>sliding scale of rights based upon their intelligence, or some other system?
I would say that entities are either persons or property, and that
the difference is that persons choose to be responsible. I don't
have any problem with a sliding scale, but it should be an
individual decision, not imposed from outside. That is, if the
parent or owner is willing to agree to the demand, a child or
pet should be able to insist that he, she, or it is *not* eating
that stuff, but continue to be irresponsible (i.e. not a person,
legally) in other ways.
-- Wolfkin. wolfkin@freedomspace.net | Libertarian webhost? www.freedomspace.net On a visible but distant shore, a new image of man; The shape of his own future, now in his own hands.-- Johnny Clegg.
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