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Comment by sojmq | Hacker News Reader

Intelligence is a sliding scale and, until someone proves us wrong, we are the most intelligent life form on this planet.

Emotional... well that's something else.

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I'm more intelligent than someone with Downs Syndrome, but that doesn't mean their life is less valuable does it? Let me guess: they get a pass because they are human. That's what it comes down to really: things that are like me deserve rights and respect and things that aren't don't. That all humans happen to fit into the "like me" category is a relatively recent concept.

They get a pass because it makes our rules simpler and they are so few. You'd see us quickly value their lives less if there were billions of people with Downs Syndrome, but currently they aren't a problem so it is fine.

>I'd see us quickly value their lives less if there were billions of people with Downs Syndrome, but currently they aren't a problem so it is fine.

Oh you mean like many of those who are homeless, who also happen to have mental health issues, yet we don't provide shelter, health care or food for?

Valuable in what sense? People talk about value like there is some absolute objective value. There's not. Things hold different values to different people and even the same people in different circumstances.

> I'm more intelligent than someone with Downs Syndrome, but that doesn't mean their life is less valuable does it?

Doesn’t it? It’s something we don’t say, because it’s horrendously impolite, and I wouldn’t say it myself outside the context of this conversation, but yes, the life of an intelligent person is worth less than that of a person with Down’s syndrome.

Don’t take my word for it though, look at revealed preferences. How many parents abort their unborn Down’s Syndrome babies?

>It’s something we don’t say, because it’s horrendously impolite, and I wouldn’t say it myself outside the context of this conversation, but yes, the life of an intelligent person is worth less than that of a person with Down’s syndrome.

That is controversial but probably not in the way that you originally meant.

You're assuming it (edit: non-emotional intelligence) is one single unified thing. I'd say there are many kinds of intelligence, and many things that feed into intelligence that, if modified, could affect it (very simple example, anxious people may freeze up during exams which makes them look less good).

You've really got to define "intelligence" here. I imagine one may point to all the technology we have developed and say "Look how intelligent humans are". At the same time, that very technology is causing a climate crisis that threatens our species. So, how smart are we really?

You want to look at smart, look at house cats. They've got it figured out.

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