"Speciesism" - nothing wrong with it
On Apr 17, 11:19*pm, dh@. wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:49:28 -0700 (PDT), Rupert >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >On Apr 11, 7:39*pm, dh@. wrote:
> >> On Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:37:10 -0700 (PDT), Rupert >
> >> wrote:
> >> >On Apr 9, 10:54*pm, dh@. wrote:
> >> >> On Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:06:34 -0700, wrote:
> >> >> >"Animal rights activists" - actually, most are "passivists", doing
> >> >> >nothing more than talk - commonly invoke "speciesism" to try to explain
> >> >> >why human use of animals is wrong. *This is meaningless. *First of all,
> >> >> >all species are "speciesist": *the members of all species pursue their
> >> >> >interests, as individual entities and as members of their species, with
> >> >> >no regard for the interests of other species.
>
> >> >> * * That's for sure. If humans were not speciesist we could no longer survive
> >> >> since rodents, bugs and germs would eventually wipe us out. Early humans also
> >> >> would not have been able to defend themselves from predators if they didn't care
> >> >> more for themselves than they do for the predators.
> >> >> . . .
>
> >> >> >The passivists cannot make a case as to *why* the interests of members
> >> >> >of other species ought to be given the same moral weight as the
> >> >> >interests of members of our own species.
>
> >> >> * * Someone who honestly felt that way would be insane and a danger to society.
> >> >> They would feel no worse about hitting a child with their car than they would a
> >> >> snake, which would truly be insane from my pov.
>
> >> >That does not follow.
>
> >> * * That it would be insane from my pov? Or that if they were not speciesist it
> >> would apply to snakes as well as to whatever else, if anything, or
> >> everything...?
>
> >Being non-speciesist does not require to get as upset about the death
> >of a snake as about the death of a human child.
>
> * * Sure it does. Why would you even want to *pretend otherwise, when you should
> be proud that it IS that way?
It doesn't. You are attacking a straw man.
|