Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Nope, haven't read that one. Any good? I've read some brilliant and not-so-brilliant stuff by Self; How the Dead Live was pretty funny.
I don't see the absurdity of attributing apes personhood. It doesn't equate with treating them as people--"How do you do, Mr Greystoke, please take your seat"--but rather giving them protective legal status. ...[text shortened]... e humanity it has squandered in its cruel & dubious pursuits.
Time for a cup of tea.
I read that, whereas chimps, orang-utans, gibbons (and maybe even dolphins) can recognize themselves in a mirror, gorillas cannot. That is, if you put, say, a red spot on the forehead of an adult great ape, and then show them the result in a mirror, all apes except gorillas will start exploring their foreheads with their fingers. So, given that self-concsciousness is a key component of personhood, maybe gorillas are not so much persons as other apes are.
