Animals have brains and nervous systems that allow them to feel physical and emotional states. They experience pain, fear, joy, and form social bonds, and they actively try to avoid harm and death.
This is not about opinion - it's about basic biological differences in the capacity to experience suffering.
Replies (5)
Why is it relevant, the suffering? It is part of nature. Animals kill other animals. Animals kill plants. Animals kill fungi. Fungi kills animals. Fungi kills plants. And other kingdoms do stuff too. Lots of suffering going on. And that is the way the world works. Why do humans feel they have some moral high ground to save nature from itself? If we as humans accept we are animals like any other, living beings with the same intrinsic value of a fig tree, we wouldn't be so arrogant to be compassionate about other living beings when we are hungry.
And that is why you should pet it and not kill it. Same goes for bacteria and so on and so forth.
If we don't understand it, we can't call them "cuttie wittle things" and then we can kill them, no problem
There's also a LOT of difference between the humans and the cows. Concepts, rationality, long term planning, and such. You make a good point and it's consistent, but consider implications or additional considerations on the ethics higher up in the levels of consciousness.
Is it possible that plants have all these same attributes and we dont understand them?
There are cases where a plant is being consumed so it increases chemical defenses. The surrounding plants also increase chemical defenses. Why would this be if the case if plants are not communicating? Is this evidence that plants have pain, fear, and social bonds? To me it is
