Read this. We have no biological impetus to protect species that do not share our DNA. However, moral impetus appears to be enough to force humanity to protect species that are not our own. The UK just declared certain sea animals to be sentient and therefore subject to protection under the law. While it does not stop people from eating them, it does call for protection from some of the more gruesome methods of preparation.
Here's a thought experiment. If you know that bacteria were sentient, and you could speak to one as if it were a human being, how far would you go to prevent their deaths? This is an extreme example, but it makes one think about human relations with other sentient beings.
For example: aliens. How should humanity interact with otherworldly beings that are at our level or higher? Obviously we'll try not to commit genocide. But how should our interactions with them be justified, and what form should they take? We seem to have already accepted that sentience equals protection under some subsection of natural law.
I think the tangled mess of how to deal with other sentient species is just beginning to be unraveled. What do you think?
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