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One topic I've been discussing with friends and family is related to the other thread about existence of good and evil.
Imagine if other animals were "uplifted" by scientific breakthroughs and attain human-level intelligence. Do you think they would behave similar to humans and draw distinctions between good and evil? Would they more likely be selfish and greedy, or altruistic and peaceful? Would the civilization they build go through similar patterns as human civilizations? In what aspects would they likely divert from human tendencies? Would their current social behavior remain and they're simply smarter, or does higher intelligence naturally plant the seed for selfishness and greed, leading to war and destruction? Or perhaps it'll differ depending on the type of animal?
(Before anyone brings up David Brin's Uplift serious, let me just say that I've tried reading a couple of the books in that series, and he really doesn't get into the philosophical aspect--they're more like action/adventure/mystery books)
Imagine if other animals were "uplifted" by scientific breakthroughs and attain human-level intelligence. Do you think they would behave similar to humans and draw distinctions between good and evil? Would they more likely be selfish and greedy, or altruistic and peaceful? Would the civilization they build go through similar patterns as human civilizations? In what aspects would they likely divert from human tendencies? Would their current social behavior remain and they're simply smarter, or does higher intelligence naturally plant the seed for selfishness and greed, leading to war and destruction? Or perhaps it'll differ depending on the type of animal?
(Before anyone brings up David Brin's Uplift serious, let me just say that I've tried reading a couple of the books in that series, and he really doesn't get into the philosophical aspect--they're more like action/adventure/mystery books)