Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons'

Originally posted by Doglord
The best thing about Dolphins is the way they taste.

Are you being sarcastic or should i add you to my 'foe' list?

As for the Dolphins.... yes they are intelligent and great companions in the sea i'd say although i've never swam with one

Originally posted by Mythtified
Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans.

What about Mice?

Good thread. S&F. I will have to read the article later when I get a chance, but for now knowing the headline and the general idea behind it is enough to make me post a thumbs up!

[edit on 4-1-2010 by highlyoriginal]

reply to post by Mythtified


Except when the males dolphins gang beat and rape the females...

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

Originally posted by Doglord
The best thing about Dolphins is the way they taste.

Are you being sarcastic or should i add you to my 'foe' list?

As for the Dolphins.... yes they are intelligent and great companions in the sea i'd say although i've never swam with one

Don't feed trolls like him.
second line.

birds can do maths and talk

classic.

stupidity at its finest.

I actually got a chance to ride a dolphin at a local water park for underwater animals (thankfully it wasn't a male as I had heard they are "over-friendly") but I can honestly say that these animals are the smartest creatures on the planet. The trainers were giving the dolphins small hints about what to do without actually telling them and the dolphins knew what to do. They are magnificent in and out of water. They have an unusual amount of personality for a so called "fish". I think they deserve to be treated far better than anyone could imagine. These animals have only the purest of intentions. They also are a great tool to study to understand the world none of us truly know- underwater.

Far more valuable than to be labeled some "non-human persons".

reply to post by AceOfAces


I personally think we came from the Sea's after the Asteroid hit so are pretty close to Fish... i had this vision a few years back that this is what happened and this was before i realised the similarities in 'Mission To Mars' which is a great Film btw as it really takes you someplace else....

Originally posted by rapunzel222
reply to post by Mythtified

 

its so sad what people do to animals, and all because they think they are superior or more entitled than animals. Why? Becuz the bible says so? that is a lie. humans are no more entitled to life and space on this planet than any other animal, and its about time we started respecting other animals we share it with AS EQUALS and as having RIGHTS too. just like TREES should have rights. and all nature, since all is equal.

of course dolphins are intelligent.
octopus also should have rights and squid.
as should pigs, on the basis of intelligence,
and all sorts of monkeys and apes,
and dogs and cats,
and beavers,
and wolves,
and many other creatures,
including elephants, that demonstrate great intelligence.

actually crows are known to be more advanced tool users probably than chimps.
why dont crows have rights?
its known that parrots can do maths and talk,
but birds have no rights.

humanity frustrates me.

I have a smart phone, it talks to me sometimes. Should it have rights too? Seriously, this is silly, but thanks for making me laugh today.

Originally posted by kenochs
I'm not buying it.
In my opinion, in order to really be considered intelligent dolphins have to show an awareness of their own mortality.
That's the true test of intelligence, self-awareness is one thing, awareness of your ultimate end as wormfood (or fishfood in this case) is the true test, only then, once this knowledge has rendered them as insane as us, will they be considered truly intelligent.

The problem with this argument is that human children do not have an awareness of their own mortality, yet we don't deny them 'personhood'.

If you have two creatures, a dolphin and a 3 year old human, who are broadly equivalent in intelligence and emotion, then to treat them differently regarding their moral rights, for example their right to life, based purely on their species can only be considered a form of prejudice.

If this report is correct then Dolphins must be afforded the same protections that we grant 3 year old humans. Of course, that isn't saying a lot as we allow children to needlessly die every day through malnutrition, war etc.

Edit to say that the reference to 3 year old children in the report was to chimpanzees. The report was saying that actually it may be that Dolphins are more intelligent than this, so even greater reason to grant them personhood and its corresponding legal protections. Chimps too.

[edit on 4/1/2010 by MarrsAttax]

Is this old news or is offical science really that slow on the ball.

Dolphins are the people of the sea...hell, I knew that as a kid. Guess common sense takes awhile to become common fact.

I suspect that we will, in coming years, find more and more similarities between us and the dolphin..and I semi-suspect that we may find a common ancestor linking us almost as close as chimps...but thats just speculation.

meh...sea people and land people...treat both with respect.

wouldn't it be great to open up a dialog with them one day...crack their language and communication barrier and who knows...teach each other things and start a aquatic labor force in exchange for erm...sardines or something.

Originally posted by daveinok

Originally posted by rapunzel222
reply to post by Mythtified

 

its so sad what people do to animals, and all because they think they are superior or more entitled than animals. Why? Becuz the bible says so? that is a lie. humans are no more entitled to life and space on this planet than any other animal, and its about time we started respecting other animals we share it with AS EQUALS and as having RIGHTS too. just like TREES should have rights. and all nature, since all is equal.

of course dolphins are intelligent.
octopus also should have rights and squid.
as should pigs, on the basis of intelligence,
and all sorts of monkeys and apes,
and dogs and cats,
and beavers,
and wolves,
and many other creatures,
including elephants, that demonstrate great intelligence.

actually crows are known to be more advanced tool users probably than chimps.
why dont crows have rights?
its known that parrots can do maths and talk,
but birds have no rights.

humanity frustrates me.

I have a smart phone, it talks to me sometimes. Should it have rights too? Seriously, this is silly, but thanks for making me laugh today.

Is this what technology is doing to people?

Kids can't tell the difference between a talking piece of plastic and a living entity now?

Can a dolphin build a house? Can a dolphin drive a car? NO
I don't know how a fish can be intelligent.

There's no new info with this story it must have been a slow news day. Papers have been written that include everything mentioned here for at least ten years.

To all the people sayng aah dolphins are so cute and friendly. This may be true but they are also viscious and violent just like us. They partake in bullying, murder rape and gang rape. They indulge in warfare and kidnapping of females from one pod to another. They are also like many other predators in that they treat humans differently to others of their species as well as to their prey. Just like seals, whales, primates, dogs and some species of birds, so they are far from unique among the animal kingdom.

I love dolphins, they have been proven to impart great health benefits to people who swim and interract with them, both psychologically and physically with their sonar. However they most certainly do not deserve the cute image they attract.

reply to post by Jezus



Apparently sarcasm is lost on you. My point was that the idea that every living thing should be granted "rights" is just plain silly. That being said, I still think my phone is smarter than most animals.

Originally posted by SuperSlovak
Can a dolphin build a house? Can a dolphin drive a car? NO
I don't know how a fish can be intelligent.

I question human intelligence too. It's not a fish, it's a mammal.

They can't building anything because they don't have thumbs like us, and they don't need to.

reply to post by Ghost in the Machine


Already bee done and still ongoing.

First used with magnetic bombs attached in WW2.

I believe there are still a small number of dolphins being used by US military in waters surrounding the middle east and arabian peninsula.

reply to post by Phlynx


So just because they smile all the time they are "intelligent"... I should start smiling more by that logic.

reply to post by rapunzel222


you are delusional see my earlier post.

I agree with the scientists but I will go farther:
Any animal with a brain 90% of the size of ours or larger should be legally protected. What that means exactly? They should have all the rights that humans have.

Elephants and Killer Whales have brains over twice the size of humans, dolphins have brains about equal in size and many other whale species and squid species have very large brains as well.

No I am not advocating that we ensure they all get fed, as pointed out we don't do that with our own species. Self aware beings do not have a right in my opinion to other people's services: food, health care, education, etc.

Self aware beings do have a right to be protected from harm by others: your body, your property, your choice.