Illogical Dolphins

Today's discussion focused on an article about dolphins' intelligence and status.  The article begged the question, "Should dolphins be called 'non-human persons' because they can be as intelligent as a four-year old human?"  While the conversation could have turned silly at any minute, it actually hit on a lot of interesting issues, such as what it means to be a "person" and what rights go along with that distinction.  We asked if those rights extend beyond the rights not to be abused and killed (similar to the animal rights we are familiar with).  Do humans have a right to eat?  To vote?  What are these rights, and how does one (person or animal) go about getting their hands (or flippers or tentacles or paws) on them?  Are there unalienable rights, or are they always cultural? 

The latter portion of our noon hour addressed the nature of logic, or more accurately, logical fallacies.  We discussed them as argument strategies and identified some of the more popular fallacies.  I questioned my own "logic" and definition of logic (reasonable, down-to-earth, "good head on my shoulders") and my own unintentional use of fallacies in discussions.  While it is a good idea to be aware of our argumentative strategies, we shouldn't be paralyzed or silenced by the knowledge that such strategies exist.