this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I definitely agree there, as most philosophical subjects don't really matter in a real sense. To me, though, this has some real implications regarding (pretty far in the future) AI development. If we were to say/prove humans have free will, that would be a potential bar to clear for when an "entity" is entitled to rights. It's all largely arbitrary, though, as (at least in the US) we aren't super rigorous to which animals are entitled to which rights. For instance, the Animal Welfare, which regulates when you have to use anesthesia, defines animals as

Animal means any live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or any other warmblooded animal, which is being used, or is intended for use for research, teaching, testing, experimentation, or exhibition purposes, or as a pet. This term excludes birds, rats of the genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus, bred for use in research; horses not used for research purposes; and other farm animals, such as, but not limited to, livestock or poultry used or intended for use as food or fiber, or livestock or poultry used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber. This term also excludes falconry. With respect to a dog, the term means all dogs, including those used for hunting, security, or breeding purposes

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It is conceiviable for an entity to not have free will but still be consciouss. It feels like something to be that thing. It couldn't choose their actions but they could experience pain and suffering. I don't see a reason for such entity to not have rights only because they don't have free will.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

That's true, I should have been more careful with my use of the word "rights." What I meant regarding free will was whether or not they'd have all the same rights as a human. The Animal Welfare Act I think is a good example of where we convey a more limited set of rights to things which can experience pain, but don't have free will*.

  • This is obviously all super debatable and opinions vary, but I think there are at least a decent chunk of people who believe humans have free will and animals do not, Descarte being a famous example.