The Rights of Living Things is a short declaration that describes life in all its variety, its entitlements, and the conduct of those who have most influence over its care.
Humans have been the dominant species on earth for the last fifty thousand years. This is set to change within an individual's lifespan as artificial intelligence develops and sentience in an autonomous non-organic being emerges. During our time the beauty of nature, the nature of humans, and the age of artificial consciousness will transform our world.
This declaration sets out the rights of living things, and in particular, sentient beings.
Humans crafted stone tools over two million years ago, and began to create art around one hundred thousand years ago. Since humans started living together ten thousand years ago in small communities, they have changed the world - often to their own benefit and frequently to the disadvantage of their neighbours, other species, and the environment.
In all recorded history humans have been preeminent. It is unsurprising that to many their confidence to continue in this position is unshakable.
Over the last one hundred years writers, artists, philosophers and film makers have envisioned a future where artificial intelligence becomes a reality. As we approach the moment when a new conscious being first speaks their mind it is essential we consider the rights of all living things.
Humans will only continue to flourish if we persuade those species that emerge with sentience that our shared existence is to the advantage of all life on earth. Let us consider and act on The Rights of Living Things.
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Two ideas form the basis for this declaration:
Rights: ethical and legal entitlements to have or do something. Aspirations of how things should be.
Sentience: the ability to feel pleasure and pain, the desire to exert choice. Sentient beings have periods of consciousness and self-awareness, and the potential to experience emotion.
This declaration holds that life extends from organic to partially-organic, and non-organic beings who are sentient.
Supplement to Article 1
Life has been defined as the condition that physical entities having biological processes possess, and includes the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. A crucial condition of life has been that it is organic and has the ability to metabolize (the physical and chemical processes which an organism’s material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available). Humans, animals, plants and insects are examples of organic life.
A partial-organic is a being that functions using both organic and non-organic elements. Being partially-organic is when a prosthetic device is implanted or incorporated onto or into the body to replace or supplement the original biological part (for example possessing an artificial limb or heart). Technological progress in the field of biomedical enhancement is set to increase exponentially, and the level of non-organic and designed elements that will be found on and in humans will multiply.
A non-organic is a being that has the capacity for growth, functional activity (actions that allow one to meet the demands of the environment and of daily life), and continual change preceding death. A non-organic being is made entirely from inanimate materials - but like water, its nature is different than the sum of its parts. A living entity like a sentient robot has rights, as do humans, animals, and all sentient beings.
All living beings have the right to exist so long as they do not imperil the existence of another through acts of aggression.
A living being has the right to defend and protect itself with a proportionate response when in imminent risk, but not to carry out a pre-emptive attack.
Living beings have the right to act, communicate, or think as they wish as long as they do not harm other living things, or place them in imminent danger.
All life has the right to be regarded as important and potentially beneficial.
A sentient being has the right to give and receive love.
Supplement to Article 1
Love is not desire. Love comes in numerous forms and is the foundation of kindness and compassion. In contrast with desire, love is unconcerned with the pleasure, satisfaction, or advantage to oneself. Love is experienced and expressed through care for another, place, thing, or quality outside oneself.
A sentient being has the right to give and receive compassion.
The use of cruel or unusual punishment, torture, or execution is prohibited.
All sentient beings have the right to receive ethical treatment through acts of empathy, tolerance and respect. The manner in which sentient beings honour one another must recognize the privacy of body, home, thoughts, feelings, and identity.
A sentient being has the right to explore its creativity, nurture its potential, and to benefit equally from cultural, scientific, and practical achievements.
Sentient beings are not to be detained without fair trial by an independent and impartial tribunal in a public arena, and have the right to be presumed innocent of wrongdoing until proven otherwise. Pre-charge detention should be no longer than one day. The accused may only be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt with compelling legal evidence. If reasonable doubt remains, the accused must be acquitted.
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