The interesting thing is that traditionally such distinctions have been religious, not scientific. That is, it was religion that eventually persuaded western civilization that all humans deserve to be treated equally, not some sort of logical or ethical argument.
If true, that leads me to think that we'll need some sort of version 2.0 of some of the major religions that deal with varying levels of sentience. This will probably happen after contact and not before, so it should be a very traumatic event for everybody concerned.
If true, that leads me to think that we'll need some sort of version 2.0 of some of the major religions that deal with varying levels of sentience. This will probably happen after contact and not before, so it should be a very traumatic event for everybody concerned.