It prioritizes one set of values over another and limits the freedom of others. But thatвЂ™s not the only moral choice, especially since foisting vegetarianism on people is also morally problematic. That said, we all make moral calculations.В The entry on The Moral Status of Animals in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, written by feminist philosopher Lori Gruen, points out that absolutists demand we treat animals like humans. This hypocrisy reveals something disturbing about the nature of humanity: We will accommodate cruelty for our convenience. Moral quandaryД®ven those of us who claim to love other creatures-people like me-eat and wear and use animals. TheyвЂ™re darlings.Д«ut theyвЂ™re also delicious. TheyвЂ™re curious and make jokes, coaxing humans to play and protesting human actions by spraying them with ink. They recognize, and distinguish between, friendly researchers and those that are mean. Octopuses and cuttlefish in aquariums and oceans have shown wit and cleverness. They can pour their baggy bodies through small openings they can change color and shape they can taste with their skin.вЂќВ Yet, she says, she became вЂњclose friendsвЂќ with a few wise cephalopods and has no doubt that they are conscious, perhaps much more so than humans. вЂњThey have no bones, three hearts, blue blood, a beak like a parrot, venom like a snakeвЂ™s. вЂњAn octopus is as different from a person physically as creatures can get,вЂќ naturalist Sy Montgomery, author of the 2015 book The Soul of an Octopus, told Quartz in October. ItвЂ™s as if evolution created (at least) two versions of the mind. Godfrey-Smith believes their intelligence is incomprehensible to us because itвЂ™s so different from our own, but not lesser. They seem to have been on Earth 1,000 times longer than us. He posits that octopuses evolved before humans. They declared the following:Дiver, philosopher, and octopus researcher Peter Godfrey-Smith, of the City University of New York, explored octopus consciousness in his 2016 book Other Minds. The evolutionary bases for sensation and emotions appear to have arisen in early insects and crustaceans, the scientists said. It recognizes that, despite having very different brains and body structures, other species think, feel, and experience life in much the same way humans do. On July 7, 2012, cognitive scientists, neuropharmacologists, neurophysiologists, neuroanatomists, and computational neuroscientists attending a conference on consciousness вЂњin human and non-human animalsвЂќВ signed the Cambridge Declaration of ConsciousnessВ (pdf). The more we learn about animals, the more their consciousness weighs on the human conscience. Indeed, our evolving understanding of animal consciousness suggests that we have some uncomfortable philosophical and legal work ahead. 17, вЂњin our view, the law hasnвЂ™t caught up to what we know about animal cognition, and it needs to.вЂќ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the UK issued a statement on the new Swiss lobster decision, saying it вЂњis a small but powerful stepвЂќ in the right direction, but that вЂњkilling lobsters by any method in order to eat them is cruel and unnecessary.вЂќ And Lauren Choplin of the non-profit Nonhuman Rights Project, which litigates for animalsвЂ™ fundamental rights, told Quartz on Jan. Cats, horses, fish, goats and sheep each had a chapter devoted to them in 2005 Swiss animal protection legislation, which recognized that animals arenвЂ™t quite like other things we humans and our laws consider to be property.Д«ut even as Switzerland provides animals with increasing legal protections, some animal advocates say the rights currently afforded to animals donвЂ™t go far enough. In 2008, Switzerland began requiring all prospective dog owners take a course in canine care before acquiring such a pet, and made it illegal to own just one guinea pig (they get lonely). The country has a history of being progressive on animal welfare issues. Labs that use animals in scientific testing will also have to appoint animal welfare officers to ensure practices arenвЂ™t cruel. The new rulesВ crack down on puppy farming, outlaw automatic devices that punish dogs for barking, and protect small, shy animals like guinea pigs by barring certain practices at pop-up, or temporary, petting zoos. The change is part of a broader set of Swiss rules grappling with the reality of animal consciousness.

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