Great Ape Project

[Tammuz]

The Great Ape Project (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Ape_Project) is a movement that seeks more rights for the great apes. They propose a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Great Apes that would confer some basic rights of non-human great apes. The proposed rights for them are the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture. See [http://www.greatapeproject.org/declaration.php]Declaration on Great Apes[/url]. Here (http://www.greatapeproject.org/gap_web.mov) is a movie

What do you think of this? Personally, I think it's an interesting idea, and I agree with that the great apes should get these basic rights. They are, after all, our "brothers", speciesally speaking.

[Anat]

Great apes overlap in abilities with the low end of human ability. I think they should get at least that level of recognition.

[Castorama]

That we should not treat them as equals is not to say that we should 'treat' (or eat) them in any way. Allow them to build their own cultures, without abusing our higher human capabilities to displace them, with the excuse of 'natural law'.

[engly-saxo]

So a chimp or gorilla will have "rights". But would the chimp and gorilla respect YOUR rights? Shit no.

Rights systems have no meaning if parties don't reciprocate.