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Operationalising Moral Status: Approaching a Pragmatic Spectrum.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes a pragmatic spectrum of moral status, moving beyond the person/thing binary. It uses sentience, consciousness, and sapience to create a graduated framework for ethical and legal protections for diverse entities.

Keywords:
bioethicsconsciousnessmoral statuspolicyrights

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Area of Science:

  • Ethics
  • Legal Theory
  • Animal Welfare

Background:

  • Current legal and ethical frameworks predominantly use a binary system for moral status (person vs. thing).
  • Existing animal welfare laws offer limited protections, failing to address the complex capacities of non-human entities.
  • This binary approach is inadequate for diverse beings challenging traditional categories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel, pragmatic spectrum of moral status based on morally relevant capacities.
  • To develop a flexible framework that moves beyond the limitations of the person/thing distinction.
  • To guide governance and legal recognition for entities with varying capacities.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptualizing moral status as a continuous gradient.
  • Triangulating established ethical theories to define anchor thresholds: sentience, consciousness, and sapience.
  • Applying a multimodal approach for measuring capacities and locating entities on the spectrum.

Main Results:

  • A capacity-based continuum of moral status is proposed, allowing for graduated protections.
  • The framework identifies sentience, consciousness, and sapience as key thresholds for determining moral status.
  • Demonstrates application of the spectrum to guide governance in areas lacking clear legal precedent.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed spectrum offers a flexible and anticipatory tool for recognizing and responding to the moral claims of diverse entities.
  • This capacity-based continuum addresses the inadequacy of the person/thing dichotomy in legal and ethical frameworks.
  • The framework facilitates nuanced legal and ethical considerations, avoiding both neglect and overreach in protecting entities.