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What if domestic animals — pets such as dogs and cats as well livestock like cows and chickens — were granted citizenship rights? That may sound like a crazy question, but Canadian philosopher Will Kymlicka thinks it’s a critically important one.

Kymlicka, a professor at Queen’s University, is a well-regarded figure in modern political philosophy. He’s also the author, along with writer Sue Donaldson, of Zoopolis, a book making the case for animal citizenship. Their basic premise is simple: animals are already part of our society, as pets and work animals, therefore we should formally recognize them as such.

That’s not just a head-in-the-clouds thought experiment. We already have basic laws forbidding animal abuse and regulating industrial slaughterhouses. But, as anyone who has visited an animal shelter or thought about the ethics of what they eat can attest, we as a society have not come anywhere close to solving the problem of animal mistreatment. If we really want to improve animals’ lives, Kymlicka and Donaldson argue, we need to stop thinking in terms of merely treating animals better. Rather, we need to acknowledge on a fundamental level that animals are a part of society and deserve to be treated as such. That leads you, however improbable it might sound, to citizenship.

http://www.vox.com/2014/12/16/7385269/animal-citizenship-kymlicka



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And that is why, Ladies & Gents, I love the liberal mind...  :D

That's impressive, thanks for sharing.

I do believe the next big leap in human morality will be the way we understand and treat other sentient beings.

Not that I disagree with you, but judging by how we misunderstand and mistreat each other - often for completely stupid reasons - we still have a long way to go before that next leap.

Euthanasia is legal for animals, but not for consenting humans in most jurisdictions...

Indeed we do.

Don't get me wrong, I think life should be protected and animals should not mistreated, but this just reeks to me as warm and fuzzy anti-human propaganda. People care more for animals than they do humans, and it is kind of sick IMO. Not that animals don't deserve to be cared for, but FFS. When you start doing things like this humans end up suffering for layers of bureaucracy that end up doing more harm than good, especially when there is no "victim" to speak , only a state interested in revenue collection. Some of the people I know who are the most fierce defenders of animal rights also have a corresponding lack of respect for the well being of humans.

Once dogs prove they are a force to be reckoned with, they will be given citizenship in order to keep them under control.

This is ridiculous. 

No it's not.

Dogs should, and government workers should, be the only 14th Amendment citizens that there are. The rest of us should be WE THE PEOPLE who control government to do our bidding, even to the extent that each of us can (individually if necessary) require government to get lost.

:)

Doge can't take any responsibility.
That the reason why doge can't be citizens.
BTW, doge is a delicious food in China.

It is less and less popular for Chinese to eat dog (or cat) meat these days as Chinese are actually very keen pet owners - so although some (generally small non-chain) restaurants still have such "fragrant meat" (as it is often referred to) dishes they are most definitely on the decline.

Very few large chain restaurants (which are considered "upscale restaurants" in China) have dog or cat meat on their menus now.

Oh - and how do I know this? I have lived in China for 8 years (and resided in various different cities).

As most dogs and cats are living according to the conservative values and they are used to be more intelligent than an average leftist/liberal voter, I don't see any reason why not :).

Dogs are pro gay marriage.

... For dogs to be able to lick their own penis on regular basis is not proof they are for or against gay marriage...  ;) ;)

Then may be other animals can also be citizens  ;D For example cats  ;D

This lends a whole new meaning to the phrase "This country has gone to the dogs".  :P

No, nothing changed.
Dog meat is still very popular in the countryside where is the main consumption area.

From direct personal experience I can attest that dog meat used to be far more widely consumed in major cities in China years back.

Next time perhaps don't make a sweeping generalisation (as now you are changing your words to focus on the countryside perhaps you could explain how it is that you know so much about the eating preferences of the "nong min" - do you spend a lot of time visiting countryside areas of China?).

Did you know that you can fit the entire human population of ~7 billion on the Isle of Man (I know, befitting right?  :D ) which is only 221 sq miles?
This should give you an idea of how much space is being wasted right now. I wonder if you'd feel different about animal rights if someday an all-powerful alien race were to take over the earth and treat humans exactly the same as the rest of the animals, completely ignoring their much lauded intellectual capacity.

Doge should be citizen because real world purposes to the moon it can replace both fiat and citizens so crypto currency is the future  :)

lol why not birds ??

I wonder if you would be legally allowed to own dogs if they became citizens.

Right. Animals are not able to understand the issues that are voted on, and thus cannot realistically be able to vote. Also if dogs were citizens then it would be impossible to 'own' them and they would need to be 'freed' but they would have no way to "support" themselves and pay for their own food/shelter ect

Many dogs are more clever, polite, affectionate and smart than lots of human beings.

No reason to give all dogs citizenship.  :)

What the hell does wasted space have to do with this? If all powerful aliens landed I don't think how I feel about it would come into question. Also, frankly I think most domestic animals enjoy a comfortable life. This reeks of a plot to monetize the family pet while devaluing humanity in the same stroke.

Sooo... in this case can we withdraw citizenship from all ppl who "are not able to understand the issues that are voted on" and/or "have no way to "support" themselves"? Most mainstream political parties would be in deep shit.
BTW who will have the ownership of these ppl?

It's not citizenship but a court in Argentine granted basic legal rights to an orangutan from a zoo! xD They said it was a non-human person being deprived of freedom lol and this may have consequences to how other animals are treated. Is this the end for zoos? xD
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-30571577

Citizenship would require them the right to vote, how would they vote?

A lot of ideas...even if they aren't crazy...are not worth the time, money, and effort become reality.

By putting the two candidates equidistant from the dog, and whoever the dog comes to is their vote.

I hope this law, if it becomes reality one day, will be called the Incitatus Law, in honor of the the favored horse of Roman emperor Caligula  :)

Dogs would always vote like their masters told them to, so they can't be true citizens.
OTOH cats could be citizens, they have a mind of their own. Just look at my tomcat and say he doesn't deserve to be a citizen... :D

https://i.imgur.com/LU6tKFU.jpg

Don't kid yourself - your cat wants to be part of the aristocracy, not a mere citizen. ;)

Anyway, your idea of dogs voting the same way their masters would reminds me of what was said of women in the past: "if you give women the right to vote, that will be unfair to unmarried men, because women will always vote the same way as their husbands or fathers".