Googling for “massacre of dolphins” leads to some horrific, unforgettable images – some from the coasts of Japan, some from Denmark, of all places. A new book has come out:
In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier is a groundbreaking book in which philosopher Thomas White argues that the scientific evidence is now strong enough to support the claim that dolphins are, like humans, self-aware, intelligent beings with emotions, personalities and the capacity to control their actions. Accordingly, White argues, dolphins should be regarded as "nonhuman persons" and valued as individuals. White also concludes that, from an ethical perspective, the injury, deaths and captivity of dolphins at the hands of humans are wrong.
Looking at everything from the structure of the dolphin brain, to cetacean emotional abilities and social intelligence, and the implications of the fact that humans and dolphins have dramatically different evolutionary histories, In Defense of Dolphins explores the idea that, in the person of dolphins, humans have truly encountered an "alien intelligence."
I also recently saw the film Food Inc… Food producers are raising chickens in super-crowded conditions, dark so the chickens are more docile. They are altered to have huge breasts and to mature in a short time. Cows and pigs are forced to stand in pens of their own feces. The entire life of a calf may be spent in a narrow stall.
We and these other creatures evolved together. We share DNA, feelings, and motivations. How should we treat our fellow creatures?