When do Animals Become Persons? A grassroots movement has
recently emerged in which a number of scientists, philosophers,
ethicists and legal experts have rallied together in support of
the idea that some nonhuman animals are persons and thus
deserving of human-like legal protections. Their efforts have
subsequently thrown conventional notions of personhood into
question by suggesting that humans aren’t the only persons on
the planet. So what is a person, exactly? We spoke to two
experts to find out. To help with the discussion, we spoke to
Lori Marino, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience at Emory University
and the Science Director for the Nonhuman Rights Project (not to
be confused with the IEET‘s Rights of the Nonhuman Persons
Program, of which I am the founder and Chair), and John Shook, a
Research Associate in Philosophy and faculty member of the
Science and the Public EdM online program at the University at
Buffalo. As we learned through our conversations with them, it
may be some time before we reach conse