I've not suggested there should be any abundance of rights - merely that the direction of history points towards being more inclusive of other conscious species in our definition of "who deserves humane treatment".
As I say in my article - this used to apply only to male citizens... then it grew to include people at the bottom of the social ladder (slaves), people of different colours, religions, etc, and progressively more and more different people. It's only natural that this progression will continue and include entities who are not human.
If we ever meet an extra-terrestrial intelligence, I sure hope they have followed this progress to its natural conclusion, and include all life in their circle of "things deserving of respect".
As I say in my article - this used to apply only to male citizens... then it grew to include people at the bottom of the social ladder (slaves), people of different colours, religions, etc, and progressively more and more different people. It's only natural that this progression will continue and include entities who are not human.
If we ever meet an extra-terrestrial intelligence, I sure hope they have followed this progress to its natural conclusion, and include all life in their circle of "things deserving of respect".