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The problem of moral personhood focuses on determining which beings are members of what we might call the moral community. The moral community consists of all those beings who have moral duties, rights, or, in general, deserve moral consideration. Medieval theologians speculated about whether angels were members of the moral community and thereby had the same moral duties as humans. Science fiction fans speculate about whether aliens from other worlds would have fundamental rights. Animal …

…morally significant person is any being who is a member of the moral community. Several criteria of moral personhood have been suggested. Mem! bers of the Jain religion from India believe that all living animals -- even insects -- qualify as persons and thus have a right to life. Jains frequently wear cloths over their mouths to avoid accidentally inhaling bugs, and they sweep paths before themselves to keep from stepping on insects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**