Lisa Shea Forums General Discussion Religious Research Dolphins - 'non-human persons'?

I have read all the Pern series, I think.

It is my hunch that scifi (science fiction) fans are more open to exploring new ideas and less likely to quickly fight or flee.

There are tribes of Homo sapiens that function quite well with a method of counting that consist of “one, two, many.” I have often thought that they have it right. They also do not speak of the dead. They are gone, not to be mentioned. We certainly are a conceited species; to think that other species are not as capable as the more primitive of our species.

Indeed.

Although I did not read those specific books, I'm also a sci-fi fan and agree totally with Carl's hunch.

I'm still hung up on the fact that dolphins can recognize their image in the mirror. That fascinates me and tells me that they are capable of self-reflection. Self-reflection seems to be the first measurement of a human child's growth. Do they have the concept of "I"?

This is at least what they tested me on when my parents tried to get me into a private Christian school. =) Asked me my name, asked me to draw myself, etc.

I wonder if pressed, dolphins would be able to exhibit these same things?

I have to agree with Carl about sci fi people. I am a total scifi/fantasy geek and the things I am willing to accept probably go much further than other folks. For example, to me it's a given we will find a way to live peacefully with each other on this planet, that we will meet other space-faring species, that we will learn to travel interstellar distances, that we will develop reliable cryosleep and stasis fields and tricorders...lol

Yes. It makes sense.
Didn't I hear that much of what was once 'science fiction' is now science fact?

Yeah, I've said it. But so have a lot of other people. A lot, of course, is not fact, but who knows - it might, one day.

Yeah, it's been said many times.

Computers are a huge example. We saw them in science fiction before they became a fact. Long distance communication (cell phones).

I'm sure there's been a decent documentary on it done somewhere...

Exactly!
Anything that the mind can conceive of may be possible.

PDM, i agree with that wholeheartedly!

I wonder which countries would be first to ratify adding dolphins to the UN? Would Europe go first, being progressive? I bet the US would fight it, sad to say.

Australia, maybe?