> Since I am new to this list, I feel it might be better to start a thread, then
> pickup with the current discussions. I know many would be trans-
> humanists are interested in uplifting -- i.e., making a nonsentient species
> sentient. I am too. (I know there must be stuff/web pages out there on
> this already, so forgive any redundancies. And point them out to me!:)
Before embarking on this project, it might be wise to consider what
species are the most likely candidates for sentience -- including the
possibility that some already ARE sentient.
That I am aware of, the most likely candidates are:
Terrestrial:
Primates: the mountain chimpanzee, other chimpanzees, gorillas, other
great apes (in approximate order of likelihood)
Elephants: the Indian species is the most likely, the two African
species less likely
Aquatic:
Delphinae: all species I'm aware of, with the orca and the
bottlenose being the most likely
Cetacea: most or all species, with the sperm whale being perhaps the
most likely
Cephalopoda: the Pacific giant octopus is a quite likely possibility.
Other varieties of octopus may be candidates. The giant squid is
technically a possibility but presents certain practical challenges
(e.g. that it's a deep sea creature, we have never encountered a
healthy one except perhaps in brief meetings, and we know they are
*extremely* large).
Avian: with our current understanding of how brains work, it seems
unlikely that a flying creature on this planet could bear the weight
of a brain capable of sentience. The flightless avians also do not
look at all promising.
>
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