(September 15, 2015 at 1:24 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: I gave you kudos because I think it is a novel argument. Nevertheless I think the dividing line is based on sentience not degree of intelligence.
To be a little nit-picky, the correct word is sapience. Most animals are sentient.
But, if we make sapience/sentience/self-awareness the dividing line...why?
Perhaps god has some -ience that we can't even comprehend. Why shouldn't that be the dividing line?
Saying that our level of -ience is the cutoff is mighty convenient. I've never seen anyone do well at supporting it. It's easier to support sensation of pain as the cutoff, but that doesn't help most people.