~ Chimps and Human Rights

In their intelligence, capacity for emotion, and DNA, chimpanzees are extremely close to humans. Scientists have discovered that chimps use sign language, hunt with weapons, and take shelter in caves. Given their highly sophisticated nature, some argue that chimps should be granted human rights–the right to life, the right not to be tortured, and the right to freedom (in some form). Animal activists in Vienna, for example, recently asserted that Hiasl, a chimp who could face homelessness if his shelter closes, should be legally recognized as a ‘person’, so that he may be adopted and will not be sent to a country where he could be mistreated. Many people scoff at the idea of granting chimps human rights. But if we dismiss the notion, shouldn’t we be ready to explain what about humans makes us–and only us–eligible to enjoy “human” rights? Must a being possess higher intelligence and the capacity for moral judgment? If so, what about infants and the severally mentally disabled? Hiasl’s story raises some thorny ethical and philosophical questions. Here is a video of world-reknowned primatologist Jane Goodall and a collection of articles exploring chimps and human rights.