We should expand the definition of "human being"

The right to be called a man can be zasluzhitMy publish a translation of excerpts from the book "The idea is to die: Scientific theories impeding progress" by John Brockman.

Science is certain that people began with Homo sapiens, the evolutionary branch of primates. However, in most of what is called "human history" (that is, the history that began with the invention of writing), most "intelligent people" do not qualify as "people", and not because they were too young or because that their capabilities were too limited.



In sociology, we usually inviting the aid "shameful trinity" - race, class and gender - to characterize the gap that remains between the normal existence of Homo sapiens and regulatory ideal of complete humanity.

You would think that sociology since its inception has been focused solely on the fact that, directly or indirectly attributed to the humanity of the greatest number of "intelligent people." But it may turn out to be so that just being in the ranks of homo sapiens - is not a necessary and sufficient condition for being qualified as "a man».

What happens then? Building a scientific point of view on the concept of "man," the best thing we can do is learn from various national democracies, where the citizenship extended to those members of the republican democracy were willing to be seen as equals, by virtue of established state rights and duties.

That is, the republican citizenship - is, first of all, recognition of the surrounding human and not some government benefits granted to the citizen by his government.

In addition, the republican constitution citizenship is usually determined by the terms in which there is no hint of the heritability of citizenship.

That is, one who has been born in the country, did not have any privileges compared with those who had to earn their citizenship. The traditional expression of this idea is that people born citizens, at least obliged to perform military service in order to confirm their citizenship.





The opening of the newly pribyvshihS into account scientific updated version of the so-called "human rights" should have been called "human nationality».

Primates and aquatic mammals is not only reasonable, but also endowed with higher cognitive functions, which include what is now called "mental time travel» h4> Let's imagine that this above the open door immigration policy had an ontological rather than a geographical nature. In this case, non-Homo sapiens might obtain permission to move to the territory of the "man».

Animal rights, by the way, have already adopted this idea and assess its prospects. With it, they can demonstrate that primates and aquatic mammals are not only intelligent, but also endowed with higher cognitive functions, which include what is now called "mental time travel».

By this phrase refers to the ability to set themselves long-term goals and pursue them as prospective value targets upstage all the difficulties that may be encountered on the way to achieving it.

It's really good empirical marker, which characterizes the independence necessary for republican citizenship.

But in practice, animal rights activists are using this point in the debate about the de facto segregation of species requiring "separate but equal" policy, in which the so-called "animal rights" give them immunity from various bodily harm man. In this interpretation, this "law" can be used not only animals, but also children and the disabled.

But the fact that the claims of animals on certain rights does not imply any obligation on their part towards the people. So the question immediately arises about the sincerity of the activists when they speak of the distribution of "rights" at all, without exception.

But if the animal rights activists still are sincere, they should call for a preventive policy, to the fact that science fiction writer David Brin called "rise." This phenomenon, where the main priority in the state assigned to research to ensure that cognitively privileged beings, regardless of their nature and origin reaches a certain power that enables them to operate on an equal footing with everyone else, that, ultimately, can be considered as " Extended range of humanity ».

Such studies may focus on gene therapy or improving prostheses. And in the end "welfare state" would have reacted seriously their responsibilities to all those who are able to represent the people, that is completely independent to the citizens of the Republic of Mankind.





Test chelovechnostIdeya that the human being = homo sapiens has always had a solid foundation in theology, not biology.

The Abrahamic religions claimed a clear superiority of the naked ape over all other creatures. Evolutionists of all stripes a shared living creatures according to their influence, and very few of them expect that a particular pattern of genetic material in some specific moment will be revealed as "clearly a man».

There is growing reason to believe that in the future, where some version of evolution will prevail, republican theory of civil rights is likely to be able to point the way forward.

This perspective suggests that every being a candidate will need to earn the status of "person", to demonstrate compliance with certain criteria, which are accepted in the society in which he, she (or it) is going to live.

Turing test can be a good prototype, which allows to study the compatibility of the candidate with the "expansion of the circle of humanity," while it is absolutely neutral to the material nature of the candidate.

Still not too late to create a "Turing Test 2.0" on human citizenship, with this test must cover all the diversity of species of creatures that after its passage would be able to live among us as equals.

State social welfare policy 2.0 could be developed in a way that could not pass the test a wide range of creatures candidates - from carbon life forms to form silicon.

However, eliminating the need to be Homo sapiens to claim the title of the person we are faced with a political situation that is comparable with the policy of the EU, which it holds when entering into a new state. This policy requires that candidate countries for membership of the European Union have certain shortcomings, but these shortcomings can be overcome in principle. Thus, before entering the EU candidate states is given a certain period of time, during which verified its economic and political stability, as well as how the government treats its own citizens. After that, step by step, the integration - from the free movement of students and workers and ending with the harmonization of the legal framework and the distribution of income among the other Member States of the Union. These periods of mutual adjustment can be quite painful, but despite this, the process still worked fine, and therefore may serve as a model for ontological union of mankind.

via factroom.ru