There was a time when a couple of my offspring were teenagers that I would have gladly traded them for a nice little monkey, or ferret or talking Myna Bird, anything!!
carmel
question: why are humans worth more than animals?
by Realist 58 Replies latest jw friends
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Nathan Natas
I agree with Elsewhere.
I would add: for survival, an entity must be able to distinguish itself from the rest of the environment and experience some kind of self/other identity separation. This might be called a sense of self, and the SELF demands priority over the OTHER.
Survival is the ultimate test bed - if there were selfless lifeforms at some time in history, they probably turned themselves into sandwiches for the lifeforms that were not so noble. That's why you can't find them today.
I think that other animals have a sense of self too. Anyone who has taken the time to connect with a pet or even an approachable wild animal knows this is true. I've seen it in cats, crows, beluga whales and wolves. I'm certain that if you could converse with other species and asked them which species was supreme, the cats would say cats are, the whales would say whales are, etc.
Probably the philosophy of Objectivism understands this best.
To answer the subject question - because we say so. Each person or species should be their own best cheerleader.
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gaiagirl
I feel that humans are not worth more than animals. Solomon had it right when it wrote Eccl 3:19-22. Every living thing has a soul, and those souls come from and return to the same place. The original purpose for giving thanks prior to a meal is not to thank some sky-god for "giving" you food, but rather an expression of appreciation to the other creature which surrendered its soul for you. Its all part of the wheel of life. Our bodies are made of atoms which were once part of other animals, or of plants, or of rocks. When the body dies, it breaks down and becomes part of someone else, but the soul doesn't die, it just vacates the non-functioning body, like someone moving out of a decrepit house.
I don't see any difference in the quality of the soul which inhabits a human, a dog, a whale, even an insect or a tree. There may be a difference in the QUANTITY of soul-material which a particular organism can handle, based on the complexity of that creatures nervous system. So an ant, or a jellyfish, probably doesn't contain a large amount of soul, because their nervous system isn't highly complex. However they contain exactly the same KIND of soul we do, just not so much of it. One might argue that an entire ant colony might act as a sort of "community soul", and approach or even exceed the volume of a human soul. Certainly, some ants seem to act in a cooperative manner with the rest of their colony, and to plan ahead, building bridges to cross streams, etc.
Most people who have owned dogs, cats, etc would agree that those creatures possess souls. Koko, the famous gorilla, converses using American Sign Language. She has a vocabulary of several hundred words, creates sentences when seeing new things (for example, the first time she ever saw an airplane, she signed to her trainer "You, me, go for ride"). She had a kitten as a companion, and when the kitten died, she demonstrated clear signs of grief. Koko functions at approximately the level of a human 4-5 year old. I cannot conceive how any sane person could deny Koko has a soul.
A good illustration of this view regarding the nature of the soul is shown in the movie "Brother Bear", in which souls of humans and animals are clearly shown to exist together in the spirit world. The story revolves around a hunter who, for no good reason, kills a mother bear, thereby making her cub an orphan. His soul is forced to live in the body of a bear so that he can see life through a bears eyes. He still has a human soul, and for a while doesn't realize he is in a bears body. When he does find out, he wants to return to human form, and most of the movie revolves around his efforts to reach the place where he believes this can take place.
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plmkrzy
does our higher intelligence make us worth more or is it the suffering of other humans if a human dies that makes it more dispicable to kill a human?
It all depends on where your standing. When one of my dogs died, the other one stayed depressed for several days not eating or wanting to do anything. I think he was hurting as much as one of us hurts when we lose someone close.
and then again,
animals kill each other all the time without it being considered a sin. Are you suggesting that humans are or should be the same? Its ok to kill a human that was sentanced to death for his crimes so it should be viewed in the same light when say... religious fanatics kill people for violating the rules/laws of the religion? Just thought it was interesting that you would open a thread with this as a topic.
I thin yur tryin to intrap/spin some of us "war mongers" Its only ok to kill when there is a good reason? hmmm...are you out to prove there is never a good reason to kill or mind ones own business when other cultures are doing the killing?
Which way will it spin?
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Amazing1914
Because we humans eat animals. We are the fittest in the evolutionary chain ... for what we don't have in strength, we make up many times over in brains. If people want equality with animals, then they should go live with them. As for me, I want animals to be subordinate until they evolve some brains. I believe its proper to protect animals with good laws against cruelty ... but in the end, I still want my fried chicken and beef steak.
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plmkrzy
If people want equality with animals, then they should go live with them.
HEY! whatchutalkinboutwillis!
LOL! I hope you don't eat dogs.
I agree with the equality thing, I have no intentions of allowing my dog to EVER get a drivers license!
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Realist
i had several cats in my life and indeed they all have their own little personality. i don't think we can attribute human feelings to them since they have most likely no self awareness but nevertheless they are individuals.
elsewhere,
This is because most people believe they are more valuable than animals. We have also set into place laws and systems to support this belief.
yes i know...the question is can this believe be based on sound reasoning or is it just an irrational stand point. in the latter case how can we (at least the ones who are aware that it is irrational to see humans as more worth than higher animals) justify to kill and eat animals? today we view the romas with their gladdiator games as barbaric...how will future generations view us?
plmkrzy,
for once this has nothing to do with iraq . i am just interested how people justify their behavior towards animals. and why they view abortion for instance as somthing terrible while eating a chicken as something normal.
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BluesBrother
i guess my own thoughts, unsubstantiated by facts , are as valuable as anyone else's
I value the life of animals. i do not like killing things and oppose cruel farming .
But a human being is different, just because they are human. I guess that is a subjective view. At one time I said that were made in Gods image, and we have the pattern of God demanding animal sacrifices - so animal life is clearly not important to him.
However, this is now just a belief that comes from within. Humans are worth imeasurably more than animals, and that is what I know.
For example, you are the first on the seen of a car accident . There is great danger of further damage. On the back seat is a little child still alive. On the floor there is an injured dog . Which one will you lift up and carry to safety? ... No question in my mind.
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TD
LIke "beauty," which is judged by the eyes of the beholder, I think "worth" is assesed by the eyes of the appraiser.
Therefore when we ask, "Why are humans worth more than animals?" I think an unpecified proposition and hence an important element of the answer would be "Worth more to whom?"
If the question were, "Why are humans worth more to other humans than animals?" we at least have a reference point upon which to base an answer, although it probably won't be a satisfying answer.
Of course it doesn't not have to be phrased exactly like this, but without some reference point, I don't think it's possible to frame a truly rational answer to a question built upon a subjective abstraction.
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kls
I don't think humans are worth more, don't get me wrong i love my kids grand kids but i have so much love for animals. They give so much joy ,love and want nothing in return except food water and attention . I have had so many animals and the memories are so happy. People can be so cruel and heartless where an animal is always there to please. Supposedly humans are smarter but the way some act proves that other wise.