Q&A: Aliens as Human Beings
Aliens as Human Beings
Question
A. In your opinion, is there any scientific basis or rational argument (for example, that it is reasonable to assume that in such a vast universe there are other living creatures) for the existence of aliens (living beings, whether intelligent or not)?
B. If aliens are indeed discovered (possessing intelligence and emotions), should our attitude toward them be like our attitude toward human beings or like our attitude toward animals (it is also forbidden to cause suffering to animals, but still they would not have rights like the rights given in a democracy to human beings, such as the right to privacy, the right to freedom of occupation, etc.)?
Sorry if the discussion is annoying.
Answer
The discussion is not annoying, but it does seem a bit detached. It is possible that there is other life, and it is also possible that there is not. I do not know how to decide this without empirical findings.
When we meet such creatures, we can think about what their status is. A discussion without defining what exactly we are talking about and without experiencing it seems to me neither relevant nor possible.
Discussion on Answer
And again I answer that until we meet them, we will not be able to know or decide.
It is difficult to determine what grants human beings rights and to isolate it from the other traits. This is a result of encounter and immediate acquaintance.
If they do not look like human beings but are really on the level of human beings in their capacity for thought, should we relate to them as human beings or not?
Sorry for the hypothetical question, but one can also answer theoretically regarding the moral question—that is, do we give rights to human beings because of the trait that they possess intelligence, or because they have emotions (note: animals also have some degree of emotion, and nevertheless we do not give them rights), or because he is a person like me, so I give him rights because I also want rights and understand that if I deserve them, then he does too?
The question about aliens only sharpens the moral discussion.