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SENSOCENTRISMO CIENCIA Y ÉTICA Edición: 14/08/2018 “La experiencia viene a demostrarnos, desgraciadamente, cuán largo tiempo transcurrió antes de que miráramos como semejantes a los hombres que difieren considerablemente de nosotros por su apariencia y por sus hábitos. Una de las últimas adquisiciones morales parece ser la simpatía, extendiéndose más allá de los límites de la humanidad. [...] Esta virtud, una de las más nobles con que el hombre está dotado, parece surgir incidentalmente de nuestras simpatías volviéndose más sensibles y más ampliamente difundidas, hasta que se extienden a todos los seres sintientes.” — Charles Robert Darwin - 1 - Agradecimientos Agradezco la influencia inspiradora que me brindaron a largo de la conformación del libro a Jeremías, Carlos, Pedro, Ricardo, Steven, Jesús (el filósofo, no el carpintero), Carl e Isaac. Como así también la contribución intelectual y el apoyo de Iván, David, Facundo, María B., María F., Damián, Gonzalo y tantos otros. - 2 - Prólogo Como su tapa lo indica, este es un libro sobre sensocentrismo, la consideración moral centrada en la sintiencia. Para empezar, deberemos tratar la mente, conduciéndonos a la evolución. Hace 600 millones de años aparecen las mentes en nuestro planeta. Hasta antes no había nadie al que le importara, sufriera o disfrutara, lo que sucedía, no había «punto de vista», ni emoción ni cognición. Hace 2 millones de años, un linaje de monos originarios de África comenzaría gradualmente a comunicarse oralmente, compartir información mediante ondas mecánicas, sonidos, propagables en la atmósfera gaseosa (previamente producida por primitivos organismos fotosintéticos). Adquirirían cultura, información copiándose, sobreviviendo y evolucionando a través de las sucesivas generaciones parlanchinas, desde la prehistoria, y luego también escritoras. Estos monos luego se autodenominarían humanos u Homo sapiens. Parte de esa cultura evolucionaría contrastándose con los hechos, generando conocimiento, a través del método científico. Permitiéndoles alterar tecnológicamente el entorno acorde a sus intereses, incluso mejorar las vías de transmisión y almacenamiento de la propia información, desde tintas, papeles e imprentas hasta memorias semiconductoras. Desde primitivas armas, herramientas y fogatas hasta máquinas de vapor y transbordadores espaciales. Permitiéndoles vivir cada vez más y mejor que antes. Lamentablemente, las demás mentes animales, siguen atrapadas en la lucha por la existencia. Sufren y mueren en cantidades inimaginables; enfermas, asfixiadas, perseguidas, depredadas y parasitadas. Carecen de antibióticos, vacunas, anestesia y calefacción. Para peor, son explotadas por miles de millones al año, principalmente en la ganadería, para la alimentación de estos monos omnívoros. Una cantidad superior a 20 veces su creciente población. Sin embargo, hay una esperanza para las demás mentes. A pesar del egoísmo antropocentrista de estos monos, su empatía evolucionada puede trascender los límites de su especie y a pesar de sus mentes discontinuas, como todas las demás, evolucionadas para responder únicamente a estímulos con valor adaptativo, su ciencia les permite reconocer la continuidad evolutiva entre sus mentes y las demás. - 3 - Actualmente, debido a la tecnológica agricultura que desarrollaron, pueden sobrevivir sin oprimirlos, como ya están haciendo varios de sus miembros, obteniendo nutrientes de manera alternativa. Más aún, pueden brindarles ayuda incluso cuando no son ellos quienes los oprimen, como con las víctimas humanas de catástrofes naturales. En un memorando publicado en 1979 por la Sociedad Vegana, llamaron a esta forma de vivir o filosofía, que busca excluir todas las formas de crueldad hacia los animales promoviendo el desarrollo y uso de alternativas, como veganismo. [1] En palabras del científico y divulgador Richard Dawkins: “Nuestro mundo tecnológico nos ha llevado más allá de los dictados de la naturaleza. [...] Podemos dejar atrás la crueldad y el despilfarro de la selección natural.” [2] _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [1] Memorando De Asociación De La Sociedad Vegana http://tier-im-fokus.ch/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/memorandum.pdf [2] ¿Por Qué Estamos Aquí? - Richard Dawkins - 19:25 Y 00:22:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn3CooUtGFU - 4 - Sumario Vida Y Evolución. Página 7 • Autorreplicación. Adaptación. Mente. Página 11 • Respuesta a Estímulos. • Sensibilidad. Sintiencia-mente. Moral. • Consciencia. Gradualismo. • Sufrimiento y disfrute anterior a humanos. Humanos. Página 43 • Hominización. Cultura. Revolución neolítica. • Sufrimiento y disfrute posterior a humanos. • Ciencia. Mente Discontinua. Moral adquirida. Ética. Página 115 Antropocentrismo. Página 119 Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos respetar y/o ayudar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “No son de la especie humana.” • “No tienen las capacidades cognitivas humanas o no las tienen y además nunca las tendrán.” • “Otros tampoco los respetan. Incluso quienes dicen que debemos respetarlos.” • “Es una costumbre.” • “Es legal, no tienen derechos.” • “Alguna deidad lo aprueba en alguna escritura religiosa considerada sagrada como la Biblia, el Corán.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos explotar para la alimentación a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Lo necesitamos para estar sanos.” • “Somos omnívoros.” • “Algunos animales comen a otros, es la cadena alimenticia.” • “Es más caro alimentarse sin animales.” • “No solo los animales sentimos. Las plantas también sienten.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos explotar para la medicina a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Experimentar en animales no humanos beneficia humanos.” Antropocentrismo ecocentrista y biocentrista. - 5 - Sensocentrismo. Página 154 Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que debemos respetar y/o ayudar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • “Son seres vivos.” • “Son animales.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos explotar a los animales no humanos sintientes para la alimentación: • “Somos herbívoros.” • “No es sano.” • “No es ecológico.” Refutación de argumentos utilizados para justificar que no debemos explotar a los animales no humanos sintientes para la medicina: • “Nunca es efectivo.” Argumento utilizado para justificar que debemos respetar a los animales no humanos sintientes: • Argumento de superposición de especies o “de casos marginales”. • Tipos. - 6 - Vida Y Evolución El Universo se originó con una Gran Explosión “Big Bang” hace unos 13.700 millones de años. A partir de partículas subatómicas se formaron átomos de hidrógeno y la gravedad los agrupó formando estrellas (como el Sol, la estrella que orbitamos), en cuyos núcleos se formaron luego los demás elementos de la tabla periódica, expulsados tras su desintegración. Estos conformarían planetas, como nuestra Tierra hace 4.500 millones de años, originalmente despoblada y seca, 500 millones de años luego formarían agua, transformándose en el caldo primigenio, donde hace 3.500 millones de años, algunos de ellos, tales como el carbono, hidrógeno, oxígeno y nitrógeno conformarían moléculas autorreplicantes, ancestras de los actuales genes, la vida había comenzado. Sus variaciones azarosas (mutaciones), entre las generaciones, originarían la evolución atravesando las ambientales presiones selectivas, y lo seguirían haciendo, de manera indirecta, dentro de complejos organismos, mediante la reproducción. La expresión de las mutaciones genéticas, repercute en el valor adaptativo, aptitud, adecuación o eficacia biológica de los organismos (la capacidad autoduplicativa o autorreplicativa, la capacidad de dejar descendencia), pudiendo aumentarlo según ciertas presiones selectivas y disminuirlo según otras. Incluso pueden exaptarse, cambiar las presiones selectivas por las que son seleccionadas. El valor adaptativo de las mutaciones puede aumentar si tienden a aumentar la supervivencia del organismo que las contiene, de los demás organismos, disminuyendo la propia supervivencia, si contienen las mismas mutaciones (altruismo parental) o si son retribucionistas (altruismo recíproco) y si tienden a aumentar la reproducción, incluso disminuyendo la supervivencia del organismo que las contiene, como la exuberante cola del pavo real atractiva para las pavas (selección sexual). Si el balance es positivo, tenderá a difundirse en la descendencia, seleccionarse, según cuan positivo sea, si es negativo, tenderá a eliminarse o reducirse, quedando vestigialmente, según cuan negativo sea. Los primeros organismos en existir fueron las bacterias, unicelulares y heterótrofas, luego aparecieron las autótrofas, los protozoos, procariotas y luego eucariotas, luego las colonias (agrupaciones de organismos unicelulares sin especialización) y los organismos multicelulares (eucariotas con especialización celular en tejidos, órganos y sistemas), autótrofos denominados plantas y heterótrofos, denominados animales. Todos los organismos somos parientes, descendientes de un mismo antepasado común, ramificados en diferentes linajes, formando un único gran árbol genealógico, el árbol de la vida. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] - 7 - [6] [7] [8] - 8 - _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [1] “Las variaciones, por ligeras que sean y cualquiera que sea la causa de que procedan, si son en algún grado
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  • Better Never to Have Been: the Harm of Coming Into Existence Free

    Better Never to Have Been: the Harm of Coming Into Existence Free

    FREE BETTER NEVER TO HAVE BEEN: THE HARM OF COMING INTO EXISTENCE PDF David Benatar | 256 pages | 15 Sep 2008 | Oxford University Press | 9780199549269 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence - Oxford Scholarship He is best known for his advocacy of antinatalism. Here is a summary of his basic argument. It is commonly assumed that we do nothing wrong bringing future people into existence if their lives will, on balance, be good. This assumes that being brought into existence is generally beneficial. Here it is in matrix form:. The first is that: 1 while there is a duty not to bring people who will suffer into the world supports 3there is no duty to bring people who will be happy into the world supports 4. Thus a lack of suffering is always good, whether or not someone exists to enjoy this absence; whereas a lack of happiness is not always bad unless people exist to be denied it. His second argument is that though we think it strange to say we have children so they will benefit, we think it normal to say we should not have children because they will be harmed. His third argument to support the asymmetry is that while not having children may be bad or good for the living, not having been born is no deprivation for those who have never been born. This fundamental asymmetry—suffering is an intrinsic harm, but the absence of pleasure is not—allows Benatar to draw his nihilistic conclusions. In other words, the measure by which the absence of pain is better than its presence is itself greater than the measure by which the presence of pleasure is better than its absence.