On Apr 12, 6:47*pm, George Plimpton > wrote:
> On 4/12/2012 8:56 AM, Rupert wrote:
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> > On Apr 12, 7:11 am, George > *wrote:
> >> On 4/11/2012 8:53 PM, Rupert wrote:
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> >>> On Apr 12, 12:23 am, > * *wrote:
> >>>> > * *wrote
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> >>>>> Most ethicists would agree that equal consideration of interests is
> >>>>> the default starting position.
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> >>>> For whom? My default starting position for consideration is my own
> >>>> interests, followed by my immediate family including my pets, my community,
> >>>> my country, mankind, higher level animals, rare plant species, lower level
> >>>> animals, the planet, and the economy is implied in there somewhere.
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> >>>> The default starting position for every organism in existence is its own
> >>>> interests, that is the way the world works.
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> >>> That is something that requires defence from the moral point of view.
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> >> Why?
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> > Because the interests of other organisms are equally important from
> > the moral point of view,
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> That's the assertion you must prove, but have to date not even attempted
> to prove.

The burden of proof is on someone who says that the interests of a
particular class of organisms deserve special consideration.