I've heard when awake most cetaceans only have half their brain awake. Are you sure both halves are awake during wake times? As I heard having entire brain awake distinguished spermwhales from other cetaceans. But spermwhales can have the entire brain awake and have neuron count in cortex higher than humans.
There haven't been a lot of neurological studies on whales and dolphins due to the complexities of carrying out such research.
Dolphin sleep patterns have been studied and we now they sleep with half of their brain active. They also do not experience full REM sleep, but a NREM sleep. From an evolutionary view, this makes perfect sense, as if they went into full sleep like a human then they would drown.
In terms of sperm whales, since they also need to breathe air, they would have the same sleep function as a dolphin. However, also like a dolphin, they would have a fully functioning brain when awake.
In terms of their intelligence, at best on par with the great apes. But we're going off topic here. Perhaps the discussion on animal intelligence should be kept for another thread.
Most likely they'd be considered slaves if that were the case indeed.
There are humans with less functional capacity than many animals due to mental disabilities, despite this if enslaved we'd consider them slaves. Now I don't think genetics or body shape defines a human as human. We are like 98~% genetically identical to bonobos and chimps, and if a bonobo or chimp was genetically modified to have a human body but a bonobo or chimp brain they'd still not be humans.
They would be considered slaves because they would be human.
Apologies, but you've lost me with the rest of that, but I'll give it a go at answering it. If body shape and genetics do not define a human, then in that case you believe our complex brain makes us human, in which case this can only be found in humans, therefore humans can only be slaves right?
What denotes humans is mostly the brain and its capacity. But I think consciousness is more fundamental of personhood. And if animals have consciousness then they should qualify as persons even if they lack language or higher thought. Considering all the barbaric experiments humans do on animals, or how they cook or boil some alive, that doesn't look good on the human species.
Humans are a species of primates. What sets us apart from other primates, and other animals for that matter, is our complex brains that allowed us to develope culture, language, social structures and tools that are well beyond anything seen in the animal kingdom.
A hamster is conscious, but that does not make a hamster a person or give it human rights.
Yes, a lot of animals should be better treated, but that doesn't mean they should have the same rights as a human. What you're saying is a prime example of emotional anthropomorphism.
If we gave all animals the same rights as humans then we need to outlaw pets, because that means dogs and cats are slaves. We also would need to ban the use of working animals, such as sniffer dogs and guide dogs. Why stop there? How about honey bees. They must be slaves too in this situation.
That said as I've said in the past work is slavery, this time you can choose your master company x or company y, but you either work or beg for scraps. Only people who are free are those with enough capital to live off of investments, rest are slaves of society, as you can clearly see that company x or company y are mere cogs of society. Even the laws that apply to the wealthy are different than those that apply to the poor, and so is the weight of fines, a $500 fine is a joke to someone making 5 grand a week, but it is no joke to someone making $500 a week.
Work is slavery? You're redefining slavery with such a statement. Work is not slavery because you get paid a wage and are not forced to work for any company.
What your talking about is political and the way we live in a capitalist system. As politics are banned from discussion, I think we should move away from this part of the debate.
