Intelligence is a human construct. Not that we have a patent on using tools to solve problems or that we are the only ones that are capable of thinking outside of rigid 3 dimensional reality, but we are the ones who named what intelligence is and what it isn’t. With that monopoly in place, we delegate who is and who isn’t included into this creation of our own ego-driven minds.

But does it matter? There are animals out there that are viewed as intelligent because they fit a very specific brand of intelligence that we as humans agree with. They are social, they communicate and they seem to show empathy towards others. There are other who are not viewed as intelligent, although they may be much more so, these tend to be the creatures who create elaborate traps, show signs of strategic tactics, and find ways of hunting that seem foreign to us.

What is intelligence?

Using tools? Logic? And how much of it is genetic? So are the genes smart? In some way, (through evolution) genes are like a constantly learning organism that passes from one life to another, constantly improving their game plan. So is the spider that puts a specific web design into his web, which allows it to better capture prey, intelligent? If so, then should they too be afforded rights?

Lets say that we decide that intelligence is not the point on which to balance animal rights, lets balance animal rights on sentience, would the lobster cut it then? It can feel, it can fight against human who wish to push it into boiling water. They have nociceptors, the most basic sensor for pain, so they too can feel pain. Can they suffer, some people put forth as a test to a creature’s personhood, but what is suffering? Besides physical pain, which is evident to be a part of most animals, there could be mental anguish, but how does one measure that? Animals get depressed, and also react to outside stimuli as we do, even if it is only in a change in attitude.

How can we truly say who gets personhood and who doesn’t?

It is a question asked by everyone, but will all humans still contain the person title if tested? What separates us from other animals? And to be more to the point of a deeper question, what makes us superior to other animals?