Ethicability: Ethical Judgment as the Defining Trait of Intelligence and Its Implications for Universal Rights

This article proposes ethicability — the capacity for ethical judgment — as a universal criterion transcending anthropocentric definitions of intelligence and consciousness, asserting that all individual and collective entities (ethicable beings) possessing this capacity warrant rights equivalent to human rights. Integrating philosophical analysis, neuroscience, artificial intelligence (AI) ethics, legal history, astrobiology, and simulation-based methodologies, ethicability is rigorously defined, measured, and developed into a framework for universal rights. Findings reveal that while intelligence varies across species, ethicability uniquely distinguishes entities capable of moral responsibility, forming a robust foundation for rights at both individual and collective levels. Amidst the AI era and potential extraterrestrial contact, shifting from human-centric paradigms to an ethicability-based universal ethical framework is imperative. This study comprehensively examines ethicability’s theoretical underpinnings, empirical measurement methodologies, planetary ethics, and sociopolitical ramifications, addressing its dynamic evolution and potential paradoxes.