Abstract

Humans are animals; humans are machines. The current academic and popular dialogue on extending the personhood boundary to certain non-human animal species and at the same time to machines/robots reflects a dialectic about how “being human” is defined; about how we perceive our species and ourselves in relation to the environment. While both paths have the potential to improve lives; these improvements differ in substance and in consequence. One route has the potential to broaden the anthropocentric focus within the West and honor interdependence with life systems; while the other affords greater currency to a human-purpose-driven worldview–furthering an unchecked Anthropocene. The broadening of legal personhood rights to life systems is underway with a ruling for dolphins in India; for a river in New Zealand and with Laws of the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia. Many philosophers; ethicists; and ethologists define personhood within the confines of the dominant anthropocentric paradigm; yet alternate eco-centric paradigms offer an inclusive model that may help dismantle the artificial wall between humans and nature. In this paper; I explore these eco-centric paradigms and the implications of an associated worldview for human perceptions; self-awareness; communication; narrative; and research.