[Arado]

(12-04-2011 12:28 AM)Athlone McGinnis Wrote:  

(12-03-2011 09:39 PM)ao85 Wrote:  

What is the philosophical justification for animals having less rights then humans?

A person is distinguished by high intellect, self-awareness, self-reflectiveness (the ability to rationally consider his/her actions within the greater context of the world around them), belief in morality/duty (beliefs that make civilization of any kind possible) and the ability to transcend mere instinct (at times even going against it due to aforementioned belief in morality/duty). A person can also articulate and understand all of these concepts.

So if someone is less able to do this (and I'd say this doesn't apply to a 1% but actually a large fraction of humanity) does it mean they deserve less rights?