Ask questions via twitter! Message any question to @answers on twitter. We'll publish the question and send you a reply each time there's a new answer.
Next Question

Answered Question

wingpea_ wingpea_
 

Mahalo is adding a tip to all questions that don't offer a tip.
 M¢30  Funded By Mahalo ? |  October 23, 2009 04:56 PM

How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?

Interesting Question?  Yes (1)   No (1)   

Interesting: kaiote M$0.05

Uninteresting: chriswingate

RSS
 
 

Best Answer  Decided by Votes

emilyfland... emilyfland...
 
 October 23, 2009 06:32 PM | view on twitter
Unfortunately, its really a matter of semantics. Murder is a word used to define killing of a person by another person. The term is usually used in a court of law under a strict definition. That means that no matter how smart a chimpanzee is, killing one can never be defined as murder, under the current definition of the law. This will be the case until the definition of murder is changed through precedence of the courts.


Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip emilyflanders for this answer
Permalink | Report
   Reply  
 
 

Other Answers (3)

Sort By
bilza bilza
 
October 23, 2009 09:39 PM | view on twitter
it wouldnt be smartness, but how similar that species of monkey are too humans.
if it happened to be really closely related to humans, it could be constituted as a human, but it would have to be up to the government to decide,
when that time comes.

Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip bilza for this answer
Permalink | Report
Voted as best: xds
   Reply  
 
 
quesera quesera
 
October 23, 2009 10:23 PM | view on twitter
While technically one can never "murder" an animal (they are instead guilty of animal cruelty, in most places), I would say it is not ethical to kill a chimpanzee for any reason short of humane euthanasia of a suffering animal. There is just no reason to kill a chimpanzee, and we know they are very intelligent animals. While people could debate for decades where to draw the line over animal intelligence, we know chimpanzees are social animals, capable of emotions and even language. There was a time when they did "medical" tests consisting of beating the poor things in the head with crow bars. There is just no excuse for cruelty like that. If you must kill an animal for food (well, technically no one *needs* to do that unless starving to death in the wilderness, but...) it should be done quickly and humanely. Chimps aren't food, and there's just no reason to kill one.

Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip quesera for this answer
Permalink | Report
   Reply  
 
 
omicron omicron
 
October 25, 2009 02:13 PM | view on twitter
Murder is not based on intelligence, otherwise it would not be murder to kill half the people on this planet.

Murder is a legal concept that is arbitrarily applied to species according to the social norms and standards of the society applying it.

Some societies base their application of rights to any organism that is sentience, which means, they think it's murder to kill something with a mind, but they think it's not murder to kill something if it does not have a mind.

Some European countries have declared it to me murder to kill a chimp, and by logical extension, those same societies should also be calling it murder to kill a bottle-nose dolphin, but they don't always, because they're landlocked and don't see dolphins, whereas they *can* see chimps in their zoos.

Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip omicron for this answer
Permalink | Report
Voted as best: chriswingate, tealmyster
   Reply  
 
 

Answer this Question

How tips and payments work

This question has already been resolved. You may add an answer to it but you will not be eligible to win best answer or any associated tips.

Related Questions

View All Society & Culture Questions

Ask a Question


140 characters left
Top of Page
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal

Top Members

This Week All Time
  • buddawiggi
    buddawiggi
    2nd Degree Black Belt
    27543 Points
    M$789.91 Earned
  • opher
    opher
    Purple Belt
    4443 Points
    M$196.22 Earned
  • annelisle
    annelisle
    Purple Belt
    2997 Points
    M$91.22 Earned
   See All
 

Most Popular Tags

mahalo(1618)
twitter(953)
iphone(465)
music(461)
google(357)
food(321)
internet(305)
online(295)
beer(279)
money(262)
movies(256)
facebook(255)
apple(251)
aotd(235)
answers(227)
health(220)
video(207)
free(205)
dog(205)
windows(197)
   See All
 

Categories

Welcome New Members


 
 
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.

Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.

Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More

 
 

Please log in to use this function.

Answers Home | Ask a Question | Earn Points | How Tips Work | Widget