7th l o s t s o u l ~ [Voice]
[The last event left Cheyenne in a weird place and since then, she's been rather scarce around the village. Aside from getting food at one of the village restaurants, she's spent most of her time either in her apartment or in the forests just outside the village. Today, she's actually back to her usual spot: sitting on the edge of one of Luceti's
( Read more... )
I think that a person is any individual or collective-being who possesses sapience, by Terran definition. A person does not have to look, act like, resemble or in any way emulate a human to be a person - a common misconception by those of my own species.
Additionally, there are many kinds of sapience; not all of them are human-like. In fact, many kinds of sapience are much different from human sapience.
[As an astrobiologist - and the boyfriend of a non-human sapient - these questions are extremely important to him.]
Reply
... And why such a specific scenario? [It doesn't sound like a scenario that would come up frequently...
...
Unless...]
... Is this related to our prior discussion about your species' feeding habits?
[Robert has a. a very good memory and b. little to no ability to register emotions or context. So yes, it did take him that long to draw a parallel.]
Reply
And I certainly consider them to be monsters.
Reply
[Quietly, as this is a topic that hits uncomfortably close to home - hell, it describes him to an extent:] There are humans that have trouble comprehending or feeling emotions. Though a human who could not comprehend emotions in any way could do horrendous things, I would not see that human as less than a person.
... Simply a dangerous, and perhaps irredeemable in some aspects, person.
And in any case, none of that applies to you. As far as I am concerned, though your method of feeding is... unorthodox, you are following ethical principles to the best of your ability and therefore I see nothing to object with.
[Of course, Robert has no soul to be devoured, so he kind of has a unique perspective on the whole thing.]
Reply
Would you continue to stand by that point even with the knowledge that I have not always been as "ethical" as I appear now?
Reply
[And another thing that hits close to home.]
I have... met people who have challenged my definitions of "ethical" here. They... they are good people. But they have done things that... that I would find distasteful or worse.
... I am not so certain I can judge people as easily as I used to.
[That is a rare admission you're getting, Cheyenne.]
Reply
[The answer to that might seem like an obvious one to most, but to someone like Cheyenne...]
Reply
In this situation, it does. I find myself unable to take these actions and judge them without placing them in the context of the greater individual.
... For example, I... I had been... t-taught to consider the ability to commit violent acts as... inherently barbaric. Simply put, people capable of violence were... n-not supposed to be able to be good people...
... But here in Luceti, I have met... many people who are capable of it... and somehow are still capable of being good, kind, caring people as well. These parts coexist in a way that... that I still do not understand. But... b-but is undeniable that they do.
Reply
I suppose it would make things difficult, to have believed in such a thing prior to arriving. After all, any creature is capable of acts of violence. Even the smallest of creatures can still cause harm with the proper circumstances.
Reply
... [Softly:] But... The people I know... they can still do this, and yet be good.
Being a person means... being able to do truly horrible things, as well as truly wonderful. It matters what you choose to do.
Reply
[That sounds almost more to herself than directed at him. She is trying to figure this out as well, after all.]
Reply
[Because it is a very profound question to just... ask for no reason.]
Are you hoping to gain a specific insight?
Reply
Reply
[Robert would hate for people to see his partner as anything less than a person in his own right.]
Reply
Reply
Additionally, there are other people here in Luceti I know who are non-human sapients as well, and they deserve the title of person from any perspective I can see.
Reply
Leave a comment