Via the ethical werewolf (who is surely pending his own Twilight-style pop culture makeover), I see that some marine biologists are now arguing that dolphins are so intelligent they deserve some human–or “person,” rather–rights.
It’s an interesting argument, and a persuasive one. Note that it relies on making a certain intelligence level the criteria for who, or what, deserves basic rights, which I think is fair. I think what it comes down to isn’t so much reasoning and problem-solving skills, but self-awareness. And the article suggests that evidence is mounting for a view of dolphins as self-conscious individuals with strong, complex personalities.
But if a dolphin is a “non-human person” (and I’m not totally convinced yet, just receptive to the idea), the obvious question that follows is what sort of rights such an entity has.
That, and what about chimps and gorillas and bonobos? They’re even more similar to humans than dolphins are.
They’re physiologically more similar to humans, but I think self-awareness is the determining factor here. This article seems to suggest that dolphins are ahead of them in that department.