Animal Rights Versus Human Rights



In recent decades I have seen animal rights groups increase use of the word "life." That is, if you turn your unwanted pet over to a pet adoption business instead of having it killed you have "saved a life."

This reference to animal "life" was not lost on a prominent anti abortion columnist. He wrote a stern warning to animal life groups saying animal life is not on the same plane with a human life.

I was interested to learn how he differentiated the two. I wondered is there was some science-based argument that laid our clearly a physical or mental difference that separated the two.

People have wondered about this perhaps since the beginning of humans. When I took my first anthropology course the view was that animals were different because they could not think in the abstract. That meant they could not use make use of tools. This has now been widely debunked. There are animals who not only use tools they make tools first and then use them.

The author, however, does not go into topics that measure the respective cognitive abilities of animals and humans. He only quotes the Bible which tells use they are different.

This whole field of human versus animal life is never applied to the abortion argument. If a fetus is a "human being" the moment the sperm and egg unit how does this human being's cognitive abilities compare to those of an animal? Of course, there is no cognitive ability in either the fertilized egg of a human and that of a rabbit.

The only difference comes from religion.

Comments

  1. Matt NoahOctober 14, 2018 at 6:49 PM

    If you want to consider yourself the brother of an ox or an ass, please indulge yourself. As for me, I will look upon my fellow human beings, those animals in the same species and declare them brothers and sisters. As for science, it has spoken about the differences between animals and humans. Perhaps some reading will help you as you research why humans are uniquely different than dogs, cats, fish, birds, ...

    If you bring in religion, then you will find Christians recognize a redeemable soul. This distinguishes us spiritually from animals, plants and liberals, in that order. So sorry, I could not contain myself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ardy BOctober 15, 2018 at 6:20 PM

    Matt Noah 10.14.2018 @ 6:49 pm

    “… you will find Christians recognize a redeemable soul. This distinguishes us spiritually from animals, plants and liberals, in that order. So sorry, I could not contain myself.”

    Noah is politically incontinent and can not contain his conservative juice. He declares his spiritual superiority over animals, plants, and liberals. Unlike Noah, they do not have a redeemable soul. They have souls but they didn’t get the immortality coupon marketed by Christianity. When Noah redeems his coupon at the pearly gates his rebate gets him an everlasting life of worship, less the temptations of free will. He loses his humanity but acquires humility. Sorry, I too could not contain myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt NoahOctober 15, 2018 at 7:44 PM

      In our legal system, animals are not tried for crimes. In our legal system, animals have no "animal rights". Rather, we have laws which guard against cruelty to animals. That some people want to grant animals rights on a level on par with humans is alarming and dangerous.

      Delete

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