chimera ethics

[mellowtigger]

I have written about chimeras before. I learned yesterday that the UK Academy of Medical Sciences has released a report of suggested ethics guidelines for researchers who create chimeras.

One category of experiments should be off-limits for the time being, according to the report. This includes the creation of a non-human primate with enough human brain cells to make it capable of 'human-like' behavior. The report says that such animals, which might be able to develop human capacities such as reasoning or self-awareness, would have a moral status close to our own or to that of the great apes, which cannot be used for invasive research in most countries.
- http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110721/full/475438a.html

I do have mixed feelings about their decision on this point. As long as the religious minded are allowed to hold steadfastly to their humans-are-the-center-of-the-universe thinking, then we will never achieve the enlightenment that I think is necessary for the good future of our society and planet. I keep repeating that we need a trans-species declaration of rights. Chimeras with human-like brains and minds would hasten such a development.

Comments

[loganbeary]

Have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=U2lSZPTa3ho

[mellowtigger]

Ouch, the pain. No, I'll definitely have to find someone at work to share this video with. Aside from the harsh treatment, it's an interesting concept.

[loganbeary]

Sorry, I should have warned you about the harshness of it. But I thought it related to the topic of this post.

[mellowtigger]

Oh, it's totally relevant. Totally different from that video of the elephant befriending the dog, though. :)

The baboon is obviously intending to dominate the dog. It does beg the question of whether there can be animal-on-animal cruelty that's more than mere instinctive reaction. It certainly appears "mostly intentional" in the video clip.

[loganbeary]

I think like most things there is a spectrum between instinctual and intentional. And this may be a case of "monkey see monkey do" I.e. they observed that we had domesticated the dogs and made the conceptional leap that they could too.