Discovering Philosophy

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Discovering Philosophy

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Discovering Philosophy

Dolphins are mammals, which live in the water. They look like fish owing to their

adaptation of their aquatic environment, just as their close relations, which are whales. They are

a collection of marine mammals and range into different species and classes. Despite the fact that

dolphins look more like fish rather than mammals, these are the second most intelligent creatures

on earth, second only to their counterparts in the mammalian family, the human beings. The

dolphins also have a high sense of reasoning, as well as high levels of intellectual capabilities as

compared to other creatures on the universe. As such, most analysts and philosophers argue out

on the possibilities of considering dolphins as persons and uphold upon them all the

characteristics of personhood, as well as, all the rights that come along with being a person, just

like those accorded to normal human beings (Linzey, 2009).

Thomas White in his epic analysis about discovering philosophy outlines a number of

factors that constitute personhood. This includes eight major principles that are that a person

DISCOVERING PHILOSOPHY 2

must be alive; a person must be aware of his or her environment; a person must have emotions

and feelings, and the ability of a person to feel both negative and positive emotions. Other

aspects of personality are that a person usually has a sense of self; a person recognizes other

persons, and a person having control of their own behavior, as well as, a person having a variety

of sophisticated cognitive abilities. He further argues that a person should have all these

characteristics, and any other creature with similar features gains rights and privileges for

consideration of personhood (Merrill, 1998).

In consideration of all these aspects laid out to outline the personality of an individual, it

is almost natural to consider dolphins for personhood. Dolphins have similar senses that are as

close to the aspects of personhood as compared to their mammal counterparts, the human beings.

This is because a dolphin possess all the features of personhood, such as being alive, being aware

of its surroundings and environment, having feelings and emotions, as well as, feeling both

negative as well as positive sensations. A dolphin feels negative sensations such as grief, anger

and disgust, as well as, feeling positive sensations such as happiness, joy and enthusiasm. All

these aspects point further to the reality of considering dolphins as persons since they have

similar feelings and practices that warrant personality. In addition, dolphins also have a sense of

self, whereby they are able to recognize themselves and be aware of their senses and personality

(Torchia, 2007).

The debate of considering dolphins goes further to explore other aspects of personhood

such as being in control of one’s behavior. A person controls how he behaves, either as an

individual or as part of a group. Dolphins also perform in similar manner, as they are able to

control their behaviors despite being animals. Unlike other animals, which excrete anyhow even,

where they eat, for example, a cow can excrete on the same grass that she is eating, thereby

begging the question of intelligence or lack of it in some common herbivores. A dolphin

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Discovering Philosophy Name Instructor Task Date Discovering Philosophy Dolphins are mammals, which live in the water. They look like fish owing to their adaptation of their aquatic environment, just as their close relations, which are whales. They are a collection of marine mammals and range into different species and classes. Despite the fact that dolphins look more like fish rather than mammals, these are the second most intelligent creatures on earth, second only to their counterparts in the mammalian family, the human beings. The dolphins also have a high sense of reasoning, as well as high levels of intellectual capabilities as compared to other creatures on the universe. As such, most analysts and philosophers argue out on the possibilities of considering dolphins as persons and uphold upon them all the characteristics of personhood, as well as, all the rights that come along with being a person, just like those accorded to normal human beings (Linzey, 2009). Thomas White in his epic analysis about discovering philosophy outlines a number of factors that constitute personhood. This includes eight major principles that are that a person must be alive; a person must be aware of his or her environment; a person must have emotions and feelings, and the ability of a person to feel both negative and positive emotions. Other aspects of personality are that a person usually has a sense of self; a person recognizes other persons, and a person having control of ...
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