These are very important questions. Why should "all people" be given an equal share? Why are all people naturally worth something? On what basis can we say that some people should have more or less than others?
The short answer is that we either reach a "peace" with everyone else or we will be at "war" with everyone else. Reaching a peace means either:
- both sides agree to the arrangement
- there is no perceivable difference in arrangement
So should we count non-people? What if we discover aliens? What if we invent AI. I contend that either we seek peace with all life or we accept war with all other life.
Any life form that is able to comprehend and respect the peace treaty deserves to be a party to it. Any life form that is unable to comprehend or respect the peace treaty is operating separate from it.
Thanks for the answer, appreciate it.
As I understand this, we should have UBI for every life form that doesn't harm another life form.
Also, we should be concerned with the wellbeing of every life form that's part of the UBI circle. Or at least that's how I understand the "enforcing" of the "peace smart contract".
Incidentally, Buddhism, with the term "boddhicitta", defines in near identical terms your approach: wishing well for all sentient beings.
there is no life form other that plants that do not harm other life forms...
perhaps a redefiniton would be in order?
Perhaps 'sapient' life form?
That's the idea: not to harm any life form. At all.
technically that's not possible...life lives on life. the white cells in your blood destroy other forms of life that seek to harm you.
That's what sickness is...life attacking life.
the discussion is going in a very complex direction. I would say that "life lives on life" is just one way to see things, not necessarily the true one. Just until 500 years ago, we, humans, knew that the earth stays on top of a giant turtle.
Thank you for the term "bodhicitta". I'm not sure I ever hear of that term before. I love it. Not having a term to describe something make it less tangible and also possibly less important. We give name to important thing and concept. I don't think compassion is as a strong concept as "boddhicitta". Thank you for term.