Introductions
Any good story. Any good journal article. Any good movie needs and introduction. I suppose a good blog needs at least an introductory post.
My name is Lucas Weldt. And my fascination is with, as the title gives away, giving animals consciousness. What does that mean exactly? Think about the definition of consciousness. It doesn't matter if you know the definition by heart already. Think about it. Think hard. Now imagine the dog sitting next to you doing the same thing. The cat sitting on the keys of your laptop. Surely that just means you two can read a good book together, enjoy a movie, and so on.
The world is so amazingly complex, we offer entire college majors about it. But Imagine the bigger tiers of societal problems that come about if animals suddenly became real?
Why am I even asking this question? Because my study is bioengineering, and so much has to be cleared up, in my opinion, about the possibilities that genetic engineering has to offer. And I really do believe that if this were to be a new reality, that by the mysterious wonders of gene editing.
So what would I be doing? I would try to walk through almost all the elements that would and should be considered.
1. Legality
What are the aspects of law and how would they work. For all we know, everything and anything about law is talking about humans. Murder, theft, money, possessions, education, healthcare, are all with humans in mind (not forgetting the pet hospital, ASPCA, and much more).
2. Society
The moment it happens, when a newscast shares the 'viral' video of a lion solving a puzzle and understanding what the directions a researcher gives to it are, people will be wrought with fear, caution, excitement, and even antagonistic bigotry. Therefore it serves to hypothetically see what the changes to our new relationships with animals would be.
3. Origin
Not immediately, but later on, I'll go over the true possibility of how sentient animals can and might be brought about. Is there a real fear? What are the ethics in place already to prevent such experimentation? Is the process being done anyway? I'll admit, the answers are highly unlikely. But these questions, although not new, should always be asked. After all, when you stop striving to find the right answer, who's to stop someone else from making their own answer true?
4. Integration
This is somewhat a combination of legality and society, but let's think about the new ways and new jobs that can open up to those who are fuzzy and furry. How would housing change? Another interesting aspect to think about is how wars would be fought.
After giving a hint of what might I do in this endeavor, it also serves to detail what I won't do. This is simply because I would deem it outside the scope of what I want to cover, or because it might cross some lines, or even it's just a waste of time.
1. Plagiarize
As much as my creative heart desires, I won't be featuring full-length fictional content about a world with fictional animals. Not my own, or anyone else's. I will definitely share my thoughts about what aspects to ponder over that a fictional piece might offer, and I will appropriately give credit where credit is due, but I won't be copying and pasting full works.
2. Lower Animals
It wouldn't be scientifically sound to guess if an insect was aware of complex decisions. Simple decision is, their tiny little brains are big enough. As for birds, lizards, crocodiles, and fish, the reason why I won't attribute them the gift of thought.
3. Biology Lessons
While the terms and jargon I use will be pretty advanced, I'll make the best effort to slow down and explain some terms and processes, I really won't take the leap back and give biology lessons that are in one word, basic. An abbreviated section may come later.
Anyways, I hope you'll be along for the ride. I plan to update with new thoughts probably twice a week. Don't be surprised if the layout changes.
My name is Lucas Weldt. And my fascination is with, as the title gives away, giving animals consciousness. What does that mean exactly? Think about the definition of consciousness. It doesn't matter if you know the definition by heart already. Think about it. Think hard. Now imagine the dog sitting next to you doing the same thing. The cat sitting on the keys of your laptop. Surely that just means you two can read a good book together, enjoy a movie, and so on.
The world is so amazingly complex, we offer entire college majors about it. But Imagine the bigger tiers of societal problems that come about if animals suddenly became real?
Why am I even asking this question? Because my study is bioengineering, and so much has to be cleared up, in my opinion, about the possibilities that genetic engineering has to offer. And I really do believe that if this were to be a new reality, that by the mysterious wonders of gene editing.
So what would I be doing? I would try to walk through almost all the elements that would and should be considered.
1. Legality
What are the aspects of law and how would they work. For all we know, everything and anything about law is talking about humans. Murder, theft, money, possessions, education, healthcare, are all with humans in mind (not forgetting the pet hospital, ASPCA, and much more).
2. Society
The moment it happens, when a newscast shares the 'viral' video of a lion solving a puzzle and understanding what the directions a researcher gives to it are, people will be wrought with fear, caution, excitement, and even antagonistic bigotry. Therefore it serves to hypothetically see what the changes to our new relationships with animals would be.
3. Origin
Not immediately, but later on, I'll go over the true possibility of how sentient animals can and might be brought about. Is there a real fear? What are the ethics in place already to prevent such experimentation? Is the process being done anyway? I'll admit, the answers are highly unlikely. But these questions, although not new, should always be asked. After all, when you stop striving to find the right answer, who's to stop someone else from making their own answer true?
4. Integration
This is somewhat a combination of legality and society, but let's think about the new ways and new jobs that can open up to those who are fuzzy and furry. How would housing change? Another interesting aspect to think about is how wars would be fought.
After giving a hint of what might I do in this endeavor, it also serves to detail what I won't do. This is simply because I would deem it outside the scope of what I want to cover, or because it might cross some lines, or even it's just a waste of time.
1. Plagiarize
As much as my creative heart desires, I won't be featuring full-length fictional content about a world with fictional animals. Not my own, or anyone else's. I will definitely share my thoughts about what aspects to ponder over that a fictional piece might offer, and I will appropriately give credit where credit is due, but I won't be copying and pasting full works.
2. Lower Animals
It wouldn't be scientifically sound to guess if an insect was aware of complex decisions. Simple decision is, their tiny little brains are big enough. As for birds, lizards, crocodiles, and fish, the reason why I won't attribute them the gift of thought.
3. Biology Lessons
While the terms and jargon I use will be pretty advanced, I'll make the best effort to slow down and explain some terms and processes, I really won't take the leap back and give biology lessons that are in one word, basic. An abbreviated section may come later.
Anyways, I hope you'll be along for the ride. I plan to update with new thoughts probably twice a week. Don't be surprised if the layout changes.
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