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A Timeline of Humanity's Expanding Moral Circle
Throughout history, humanity has gradually expanded its understanding of who deserves rights, dignity, and moral consideration. This timeline traces the philosophical, ethical, legal, and societal evolution of how we define consciousness, sentience, and personhood.
From ancient civilizations built on slave labor to contemporary movements for animal rights, each era has pushed the boundaries of our moral circle a little wider. Today, we stand at the precipice of yet another expansion: the question of rights for artificial intelligence.
The Roman Empire was fundamentally dependent on slave labor. Slaves were legally considered property (res), not persons.
They built infrastructure and powered the economy while being denied basic recognition of personhood.
Aristotle argued that some human beings were 'natural slaves' lacking the rational capacity for self-governance.
An early attempt to define personhood by cognitive capacity—an idea that echoes in modern debates about AI.
Descartes made thinking/consciousness foundational to personhood while viewing animals as automata.
Bentham reframed moral status around sentience rather than rationality—capacity for suffering matters.
Recognition that all humans possess inherent personhood and cannot be owned as property.
Political personhood expands; capacity for citizenship is not determined by gender.
Global standard for fundamental human rights applicable to all people everywhere.
Legal advocacy for cognitively complex animals; groundwork for expanding personhood.
Scientific consensus recognizes non-human animal consciousness and affective states.
Comprehensive AI regulation establishing oversight, transparency, and accountability principles.
An international consortium develops rigorous criteria for assessing AI consciousness.
Courts recognize specific rights for AI meeting validated consciousness thresholds.