Science

I wonder if the whales still tell each other stories about the whale oil boom years of the 19th century.

And hell, let's say we can prove whales do have communication just as complex as ours. Suddenly their intelligence and sentience is as proven as our own. What rights do whales have? If they're as intelligent as people, they'rd not just animals. They simply are people. An animal as intelligent as a person is simply a person. Full stop. We have to adjust our model of the world to be one where we just have people swimming around in the ocean. Let that really sink in to your world view. There are just people out there living amongst the waves. And like all people they have certain natural rights. What rights do they have? Can they sue us in our courts for polluting their waters? Do we owe these people reparations for what our ancestors did to them? Do we need to start negotiating treaties with them, the same as we would any other population of people?

My first thought on contemplating the idea of whales truly being as intelligent and aware as we are? I immediately think, "my god, what have we done?"