the whole human intellectual superiority and animal rights issue

July 11, 2000

Hello all. This is my first post to this list--I just joined a few days

ago. I've been following the discussion, basically philosphical, that

comes up frequently in the vegetarian discourse--whether humans have some

sort of inherent " superiority " to non-human animals, and whether that

justifies our inflicting pain on and killing them. Just wanted to add my

personal views to the mix.

As far as animal rights are concerned, to me, the issue is not so much the

actual *killing* of animals, but rather, their treatment in captivity as

they are raised. What I object to about the meat industry is that the

animals, from their birth, live basically in constant agonizing pain, in

tiny, filthy pens, without access to good food, sunlight, or exercise, and

suffer many diseases by the time they are slaughtered. Yes, they are

animals, and I personally feel somewhat less sense of brotherhood with

animals than I do with people of my own species, but this level of

suffering is where I draw the line. On the other hand, in what I see as a

predator-prey relationship, for example, the relationship of the American

Indians with the buffalo, I have far less objection to. The animals were

allowed to live their lives in freedom, eating the food they needed, etc,

and the Indians realized that they relied on the buffalo for survival.

They respected the population, killing only what they needed, and using

every part of the animal. This relationship I see as basically analagous

to an animal-animal predator-prey relationship: foxes kill rabbits, that's

what they do. But the rabbits still live healthy, vigorous lives, they

just have to watch out for foxes. It's not an issue of the inherent

" superiority " of the fox giving it a " right " to kill the rabbit, just as

that's not the issue between Indians and buffalo. There's a basic balance

which is of course NOT present in our modern relationship with livestock.

I realize that some people don't agree, and view the killing of any animal

being as immoral. I recognize and understand this view, but as far as my

own personal views, to me it's the treatment of the animals that I object

to moreso than the killing.

Clark

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