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I've known humans that are less conscious than animals.
The problem with declarations like this is that, in the extreme egotism of our species, many humans immediately jump to the conclusion that therefore the highest prevailing human ethics should therefore prevail in all our interactions with animals, and those ethics be enforced by law.
The adverse effects on ecosystems by "compassionate" humans is well documented. "Johnny, you can't keep that huge python anymore. Just let it loose in the Everglades." "Son, we can't afford to keep Rover, I'm going to release him out into the wild by that farm a ways from here. He'll be fine."
Even animal rights advocates often do more harm than good. In the absence of predation, a deer population of beautiful Bambis will increase until mother nature steps in and kills the excess with starvation or disease.
Animals with consciousness have not only the nobler emotions, but some, like minks and fisher cats have viscous and perverse norms. Many are opportunistic cannibals. Meaningful communication with many species is impossible, and in fact some species don't even communicate with each other except for sex and aggression.
Animals and mother nature itself are not bound by our artificial compunctions, and as a natural predator animal ourselves, we need to understand our place in the scheme of things and our own needs to survive before making laws based on declarations like the one cited.
I've known humans that are less conscious than animals.
The problem with declarations like this is that, in the extreme egotism of our species, many humans immediately jump to the conclusion that therefore the highest prevailing human ethics should therefore prevail in all our interactions with animals, and those ethics be enforced by law.
The adverse effects on ecosystems by "compassionate" humans is well documented. "Johnny, you can't keep that huge python anymore. Just let it loose in the Everglades." "Son, we can't afford to keep Rover, I'm going to release him out into the wild by that farm a ways from here. He'll be fine."
Even animal rights advocates often do more harm than good. In the absence of predation, a deer population of beautiful Bambis will increase until mother nature steps in and kills the excess with starvation or disease.
Animals with consciousness have not only the nobler emotions, but some, like minks and fisher cats have viscous and perverse norms. Many are opportunistic cannibals. Meaningful communication with many species is impossible, and in fact some species don't even communicate with each other except for sex and aggression.
Animals and mother nature itself are not bound by our artificial compunctions, and as a natural predator animal ourselves, we need to understand our place in the scheme of things and our own needs to survive before making laws based on declarations like the one cited.
I was expecting something like that to happen, once the report that dogs have the emotional capacity of a 3-year old child came out, and all the mirror self-recognition tests that now include apes, dolphins, magpies, elephants--and possibly dogs. Plus scientists believe they have found the source of our sense of "self," and it isn't in the neocortex, but in the brainstem! Which all vertebrates have. So: consciousness all around!
For one thing, it's about time this very simple notion becomes commonly accepted. Of course consciousness is part of being alive, if you're a vertebrate (and maybe even further, such as an octopus). They may not be able to tell themselves, "Hey, I'm conscious today!" But neither can a two-year old toddler, and nobody is going to claim she's not conscious. Animals are not things, period.
That being said, Harry does have a point. Well-meaning zealots have in the past made political programs out of science facts, and created problems instead of solving them. I'm just hoping that some common sense will prevail--that we can respect animal consciousness and at the same time keep having pets--and humanely treated farm animals.
If you've spent any time stalking game, training dogs or deceiving waterfowl into shotgun range then you probably already knew this.
Or hunted any wild animal for that matter.
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