Yes, seeing intelligence alone is problematic already when applied to humans—should mentally disabled people have less rights? If a genius kills a person of average intelligence, should they get away scot-free? Obviously makes no sense. There are extreme cases like e.g. babies born without a brain entirely who are essentially considered clinically dead, but those lack far more than just intelligence.
But also, in addition, yes, even with aliens it’s not like intelligence or any other purely cognitive ability is enough. Even in fiction, the Daleks are intelligent, the Borg are intelligent, but coexistence with them is fundamentally impossible. The things that make us able to get along are subtler than that.
That is certainly both de facto and de jure true in most jurisdictions, leaving aside the is-ought question for a moment. What use is the right to education to someone who can’t ever learn to read or write no matter how hard you try and coach them? Or freedom of speech to those who lack complex cognition at all?
Personally, I have no compunctions about tying a large portion of someone’s moral worth to their intelligence, if not all of it. Certainly not to the extent I’d prefer a superintelligent alien over a fellow baseline human, unless by some miracle the former almost perfectly aligns with my goals and ideals.
That is certainly both de facto and de jure true in most jurisdictions, leaving aside the is-ought question for a moment.
I mean, fair, but not human rights—I was thinking more, they still aren’t treated as animals with no right to life. Mentally disabled people are more in the legal position of permanent children; they have rights, but are also considered unable to fully exert them and are thus put under some guardian’s responsibility.
Yes, seeing intelligence alone is problematic already when applied to humans—should mentally disabled people have less rights? If a genius kills a person of average intelligence, should they get away scot-free? Obviously makes no sense. There are extreme cases like e.g. babies born without a brain entirely who are essentially considered clinically dead, but those lack far more than just intelligence.
But also, in addition, yes, even with aliens it’s not like intelligence or any other purely cognitive ability is enough. Even in fiction, the Daleks are intelligent, the Borg are intelligent, but coexistence with them is fundamentally impossible. The things that make us able to get along are subtler than that.
That is certainly both de facto and de jure true in most jurisdictions, leaving aside the is-ought question for a moment. What use is the right to education to someone who can’t ever learn to read or write no matter how hard you try and coach them? Or freedom of speech to those who lack complex cognition at all?
Personally, I have no compunctions about tying a large portion of someone’s moral worth to their intelligence, if not all of it. Certainly not to the extent I’d prefer a superintelligent alien over a fellow baseline human, unless by some miracle the former almost perfectly aligns with my goals and ideals.
I mean, fair, but not human rights—I was thinking more, they still aren’t treated as animals with no right to life. Mentally disabled people are more in the legal position of permanent children; they have rights, but are also considered unable to fully exert them and are thus put under some guardian’s responsibility.