Philofilm screening of Rise of the Planet of the Apes with UT philosophy postdoc Sage Cammers-Goodwin

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 multiple award-winning box office hit that spawned three sequels. It explores themes of human enhancement and animal rights (including animal testing and freedom), raising questions that upend our base societal presumptions. What makes humans superior to other species? If it is simply intelligence, then what does that imply about our rights amongst ourselves - i.e. should “intelligent “humans have more rights? It was this reasoning combined with faulty “science” that was used to justify the genocide of indigenous people, slavery, and eugenics. As society reconciles with how it treats its fellow humans, it is worth considering how these same tactics are used to justify abuse of animals. Or, perhaps, intelligence is inconsequential, maybe overpowering, intimidation, and the results of war determine the right to freedom? If this is the case, and a stronger power takes us over, will we have been fairly stripped of our freedoms? If individuals have rights regardless of power of intimidation, then we may need to rethink our coercively constructed society and domination over other beings.