Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagWesley J. Smith (on human exceptionalism)

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cute pig

Humans Are More Important Than Pigs

Mainstream bioethics has long sought to deconstruct human exceptionalism by claiming that species membership is irrelevant to moral worth.
The lives of human beings are unquantifiably more important than those of pigs. Read More ›
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diversity and inclusion hands of peace.  women uniting for social justice

Humanity is Not a Terminal Illness

Anti-humanism has been part of the environmentalist movement for decades
Anti-humanism has become a hallmark of environmentalism. It is also becoming official government policy. Read More ›
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multiracial group with black african American Caucasian and Asian hands holding each other wrist in tolerance unity love and anti racism concept

Prof: We Shouldn’t Necessarily Value Humans Over Other Animals

New York University environmentalism prof Jeff Sebo argues that humans are not always rational and that some animals display mental qualities so we aren’t exceptional

New York University environmentalism prof Jeff Sebo, co-author of Chimpanzee Rights (2018), sees human exceptionalism (the idea that there is something unique about human beings) as a danger to humans and other life forms. He does not think that we should necessarily prioritize humans over animals: Most humans take this idea of human exceptionalism for granted. And it makes sense that we do, since we benefit from the notion that we matter more than other animals. But this statement is still worth critically assessing. Can we really justify the idea that some lives carry more ethical weight than others in general, and that human lives carry more ethical weight than nonhuman lives in particular? And even if so, does it Read More ›