One, then Two, then More pt. 2

Last post, I talked about how the first animal was created, the one to have consciousness. I touched on how this will affect the courts, and how every legal document would have to be changed to accommodate the new species. And as a parallel event, the turmoil that is caused by the public realization and acceptance (and lack thereof) that there is an animal capable of creating their own unique thought like a human is. How would it play out if the animal was a pet species?

I also touched on an early societal events sparked by the announcement including but limited to the social movements immediately born after the event. The endless news stories, periodicals, and blogs that touch on this. What will I be doing when the event happens?

Nonetheless, now we can take a look on the global level. For this hypothetical, I will stay with the assumption the United States are the ones to create the animal.


The World and the United Nations

Say what you want about the United Nations, international force for good, conglomerate bureaucratic evil, I really won't weigh in there. But make no mistake they will respond with legislative force. Which I'll concede is comparable to being sat on by a kitten, with claws extended. Half the countries will likely impose serious sanctions on the United States for violating human and animal rights (by figuratively blending them, no doubt) and the other half will likely impose sanctions unless key information was released, such as status of the animal, procedure for experimentation and so on. Is blackmail a likely scenario? For something of this magnitude, Yes. And no doubt, a high group of professional psychologists would likely be sent over as an outside observer to report on the state of the matter.

What sort of tests and questions would there be to prove for the world that a certain animal in the belly of a lab would be able to think and communicate through language, written or not? The same questions I wrote about earlier, and maybe even more questions that are classified. After all, if a test for consciousness was released, advanced or not, chances are that someone might falsely create an entity to pass, without actually being aware.

Assuming the animal passes, (what's the point of this blog if the animal doesn't pass) the hysteria will not die out. It may be revamped, it may be rejuvenated, but one thing is for sure. The world will not be the same.

Back Home and the Search for Love

In the sci-fi movies where the scientists or researchers always mention clones or multiple trials, they are not wrong. Should an initial subject fail, the incentive to restart the process as soon as possible is critical. So it makes sense there would be, if not one, but several back-ups. The best example that comes to mind was in the movie Jurassic World, where the female protagonist mentions the Indominus Rex had a sister in the movie (spoiler: the rex eats the sister). So then if the lab experiences a successful trial, and it's one in a long line of unused zygotes to gestate, then what are the options? Presuming the lab's image isn't absolutely tarnished, and all its funds are pulled, the option remains to fully develop another. And should they?

It would be horribly depressing for the animal to endure its entire life as a single member of its own unique species. But emotions don't dictate truth, or what's practical. And should the higher powers that be rule that the program be shut down, the research destroyed, and the animal left to live a life alone. That chance is rare.

All the more likelihood lies in the fact more animals will be given consciousness and human sentience. By the same lab? Maybe. The possibility is there. But the bright side is that given the framework for one species is already built, i.e. the first animal that was created, i.e. dog, horse, wolf, or so on. It's like the plans are made for one skyscraper, and the scaffolds are already built, theoretically. So then it makes sense to  not start a new style skyscraper, (new species) and build off an already designed scaffold.

In the end, when these animals desire to reproduce, what would be the nature of their offspring? This area of thought is highly questionable and wholly dependent on the quality of the efforts to create the original animal. Should the animal receive the genetics, the 'talking' gene, and the ability to be conscious, will that information be passed on to the child? Only if the edits to the genome make their way to the reproductive system. But this is such a delicate chain of events, that the most likely thing to happen was that the animals are born infertile, unable to reproduce. In which case, some questions won't have to be asked regarding ethics and proliferation of animals are moot. But suppose the animals in question are fertile. What fate lies for the offspring should the parents be allowed to meet, grow a bond and mate? The best chance is that they are simply given more liberties than the parents before. Of course, with the initial group, the restrictions are hard and plenty, governing where to go, where they have autonomy, are they supervised. The second generation has the benefit of being the ones a world is almost used to. That maybe, they have more independence, a better ability to operate on their own, and make their own decisions. Of course, what if they decide to procreate. The second tier of possibility is that while the initial parents are fertile and able to procreate, the offspring are not. Therefore, the phenomena, and the age of sentient animals may very well be short-lived. Which of course leaves the third option: A race of sentient species is created where the offspring are fertile down the line. This is the hardest end to reach, and by far the most controversial. It is with no doubt the most exciting in its own right. After all, with a group of animals willing and able to procreate and grow in number will create challenges dwarfing the initial media explosion. Now coms the thoughts of how society should react and what is the easiest way to fully integrate the new species. And would we be able to accept it?

This is the semi-conclusion to part 2 of the series, One, then Two, then More. It seems too rich, the world of possibilities that could come about should this happen. I can only hope to actually see it one day.

Best of thoughts to you all, and Happy Thinking!