With so many interactions between
humans and animals, one must ask themselves how they view these
creatures. Do they have intrinsic value, or do they get all of their
value from the emotional or financial investment a human places in
them? Is it wrong for a pet cat to kill a pet mouse, but acceptable
for the same cat to kill a wild mouse that has invaded the home? Many
would argue that we should not kill animals at all since they are
intelligent, emotional being who have wants and feelings, but animals
still kill other animals, and many need to do so in order to survive.
What we need to worry about, is not whether or not we should kill
animals, but how we kill them. We should not end their lives
unnecessarily, and if we must kill them, then we should make sure
that they suffer as little as possible in the process. Even if we do
not eat them, animals are still used in a variety of ways, and in
using them we must be sure that we are giving them high quality
lives. This might mean housing chickens differently, or euthanizing a
dog in a shelter who is suffering psychological damage. While all
species are not equal, all species can suffer from poor treatment,
and need to be regarded. Animals do have intrinsic value, but the
human-animal bond can make one animal even more valuable than other
members of its species.
No comments:
Post a Comment