What if Humans Were Not Considered Persons?
Imagine that you live on a planet where humans
are not considered persons. They have no legal rights because they are
not considered the type of beings that can have rights. Their feelings
are not considered to matter, their hopes are considered irrelevant, their
desires and decisions are considered utterly unimportant. Humans cannot
leave the planet. The non-human overlords of the planet are vastly intelligent,
supremely talented, overwhelmingly
powerful and consider every square inch of the planet their own property.
(Arnold Schwartzenegger attacked a three-year old overlord and was swatted
like a fly.) Humans can only live when and where and how the overlords
let them. Humans are killed whenever it suits the whim of whatever overlord
is considered to own those humans. The overlord religion says humans are
not people, and so only exist to be used by overlords. Since humans are vastly
less intelligent and talented than overlords, there is nothing that humans can
do that would make freeing them a good thing for the overlords. To anyone with any
power, humans are considered non-persons.
Imagine also that the overlords are rational,
and will accept a proposition that is supported by a strong argument.
Write a short paper in which you lay out the strongest
reasons you can think of why humans should be considered people.
Remember that you can't say "humans should be considered people
because humans are considered people" because your audience is a group
of alien overlords to whom humans are not considered people.
Your paper should adequately answer or intelligently
discuss at least some of the following beliefs held by the overlords.
1. When one type of being
is vastly more intelligent than another type, the less intelligent type
are not people.
2. When one group is vastly
more powerful than another, the less powerful group are not people.
3. When your religion says
it's okay to do something, then it's okay.
You can try to create a coherent essay on this
topic, or you can ramble over a series of disconnected random thoughts.
Either is fine so long as you take the time to explain your reasons once
in a while. You are graded on the quality of your thinking, which includes
your ability to generate insightful comments as well as your ability to
give reasons for what you think. Never hesitate to put down a thought,
even if you can't support it at this time. Do what you can as well as you
can.
Remember, however, that you only gain credit for insight and reasoning.
Material that is just expression of emotion or repetition of your beliefs isn't
the same thing. Try to give reasons for the things you say.
Copyright © 2006 by Martin C. Young
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