Humans = Superior ?
| Author | Message |
|---|---|
| LunacyFringe Killjoy  Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 82 | |
| thank fsm. In The Murder Scene  Age: 36 Gender: Female Posts: 20564 | lol, the problem is the exploitation. The problem is that we domesticated them in the first place. And yes, I have met many seeing eye dogs, not that I would need to meet one to form an opinion. I know that pets are capable of love. I myself have two cats as my animal companions, and they are very sweet to me, even "tucking me in" to bed at night before running around and tearing up my house while I sleep, heh. Nobody here ever even said that these animals do not love their human companions. The argument here is that just because we feed them doesn't mean we can make them do whatever the hell we want. I am not making my cats do anything. I rescued one from being experimented on at a University, and the other from starving because she was tangled in a plastic bag for god knows how long behind a retail outlet. And I expect NOTHING in return, not even the love they give me. I just know that they have developmental issues and that since we have paved over nature and have bred all survival skills from out "pets," they'd last a hot second out there before something unfair happened to them, or someone less caring "took them in." And the whole "Is it wrong to help a blind person?" thing doesn't fly with me either. I feel no pity for someone who is blind, and you shouldn't either, because I doubt they're interested in your pity. it's the same thing as a dog helping a fully capable person. It's a great help, a seeing eye dog, no argument there, but I still don't think it's necessarily right. Then again, if you place different animals along a certain line of "superiority" and "inferiority," I suppose I am not surprised that you would assume that we should allow a blind person's needs to undermine our passions and moral standings simply because they are disabled. And it is still arguable that many animals are protective due to their "pack" mentality - we, uh, kinda took away the packs dogs were naturally in before, so they adapted to fit the situation. Which, you know, many humans aren't very capable of doing - adapting. We get all emotional and self-centered rather than trying to survive and be fully healthy and happy so that we can prolong our species. We die in so many cases because we are too stupid and wrapped up in our petty lives to stfu and do what it takes to be the best person possible. So, eh, arguably inferior. |
| LunacyFringe Killjoy Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 82 | I guess I dont really understand what your goal is. Is it that your against the domestication of all animals? And I didnt really understand what the end of your last paragraph. Was it that we're inferior because we arent as able to adapt to our situations as well as animals? |
| thank fsm. In The Murder Scene Age: 36 Gender: Female Posts: 20564 | No and no. My first point is that simply because an ailing human is in need does not mean that another species should be indebted to them. My second point is that we are not superior to any animals just by our OWN measurements. You said that dogs and such love us, and I said that while that may be true, it may also be true that they are operating in a pack mentality, subbing in humans for other dogs since we took away their "pack" centuries ago. Hence, adaptation, which we struggle to do. Just one way that we fall short, by a long shot, while we consider ourselves superior because we can survive in the bubble that we have created. You're taking single statements and acting as if they're my whole argument. Bigger. Picture. |
| LunacyFringe Killjoy Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 82 | merlin.: Well then couldnt this view apply both ways? What about when an ailing animal is in need? Do we not owe it to them to help them? Whether we owe it to them or not a lot of people do choose to help animals. I guess in my opinion I feel that humans and animals have a balanced relationship. They need our help and we need theirs.I think that we both do depend on each other. And I think in doing so we can make each other happy. merlin.: Well you and I have different opinions on where superiority comes from. I dont believe its from my own measurements that humans are superior to animals. Its not because of our brains or our abilities. I believe that humans were created in God's image, and that animals were not. But I also believe that we have been given the responsibility of taking care of animals, loving them, and treating them well, whether they live in our homes or in the wild. Know that I am not asking you to agree with me, I am simply telling you what I believe and why I believe it. |
| Mindfuck Always Born a Crime  Age: - Gender: Female Posts: 5614 | LunacyFringe:The difference between an ailing human and an ailing animal is that animals do not expect or train us to help them. They don't have the means or the minds to do that, like we can do to them. It doesn't make sense to compare animals being trained by us to help us, and us helping an animal because it's injured or something. In their minds, we don't owe them anything because that isn't how animals think. And I feel that if humans and animals truly had a balanced relationship going on, then we would all know instinctively that we shouldn't mistreat them or take advantage of them. But a lot of humans do. We don't have a balanced relationship with animals. As far as I'm concerned, animals get the rough end of the stick - we eat them, people wear animal pelts and use them for entertainment in circuses and other shitty acts of cruelty masked as 'entertainment'. That's not balanced. |
| thank fsm. In The Murder Scene Age: 36 Gender: Female Posts: 20564 | LunacyFringe: lol. Performing surgery on an animal with internal bleeding is not the same thing as strapping an animal by your side and making them lead you everywhere - and here's the real clincher: WE CHOOSE TO DO IT. They do not force us to, and many times they'd rather we just left them alone. No, we DON'T owe it to them. And they do not owe it to us. We choose to do it. |
| Black Panther Killjoy  Age: 29 Gender: Male Posts: 2 | humans are not superior. just because they have the technology and the weapons making them powerful, they will never be the superior ones. |
| Draco Malfoy. Motor Baby  Age: 29 Gender: Female Posts: 845 | Lovesick Melody.: Who are we to value life? This probably won't make any sense by the time I've actually gotten it all down, so keep that in mind. I think we, as humans, obviously have the highest regard for our own species and therefore will do, what's in our right mind to protect ourselves to the highest of our abilities. I do think that we as a species though, have become too lenient towards artificial means for survival/ normality. Whereas animals, usually go about their day-to-day antics au natural. It worries me, but who am I to talk? I'm sitting here typing this argument as we speak. On topic; I don't think that we can say a human life is worth more than say, a mouse's. As I said previously, who are we to imply that we, are in fact superior? I'm sure every species grouping has the highest regard for itself. Life is life, I don't think it should just be dismissed so casually, in regards to intelligence or whatever else. We really have no idea what animals are truly capable of. |
| BornToQuit Joining The Black Parade  Age: 29 Gender: Male Posts: 195 | Superiority is really a human creation, in my eyes. We are not the ones to ask if we are any better than an an, or to say we are just becuase we can kill them. Killing a human is seen as worse than killing an animal simply becuase we know that they can feel the same as us, we have an emotional connection with other humans as well as general distain towards it thats probably wired into our brians from birth. Sure, just about everyone would say kill an animal instead of a human but I think it's because all humans are equal that it almost makes killing an animal worse, that we can just kill them because we won't be open to attack and hatred from all other animals that we can interpret. |
| Wolly-san Fabulous Killjoy  Age: 27 Gender: Female Posts: 101 | I dont believe that humans are superior, once in class my teacher said that humans were superior over all the other animals. But I think that everything has a part to play in this world so I got a little upset with her. I believe that every animal should be equal and that there shouldn't really be pets, we should let them do there own thing while we do ours.  I agree with BornToQuit |
| questionable content Always Born a Crime  Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 5604 | BornToQuit: I completely agree. I think human superiority is a moot point--if a person wasn't your social equal, would you still treat them with respect? Also, superiority is such a subjective term. If we choose to go the scientific, experimental route, there will always be substantial bias in any test we devise, as any test will be impacted by our own, human ways of thinking. Discounting test bias, how do we interpret those results? If an animal is not adapted to whatever way of thinking, then we can easily claim human superiority based on those results. To quote Einstein: "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." I think it's the same way with animals. Superiority is a human construct, when we compare intelligence or whatever other aspect, it's always on human terms. In the end, I think the only real measure of a species is natural selection--can the species survive, adapt, and continue? And simple survival is a decidedly unbiased test. |
| summertime Fabulous Killjoy  Age: 29 Gender: Female Posts: 102 | Humans are superior intellectually, but a lot of them are destroying the planet for their own personal gain without any regard towards the other animals who live on it. Animals live peacefully, whereas humans have wars and mess with nature. I don't get why so many people think that human life is more valuable than anything else, because the world would be a better place without any people on it. Ok, that came out a bit stronger than I meant it... |
| KCfriedchicken86 Jazz Hands  Age: 27 Gender: Male Posts: 337 | I think that as long as humans tell dogs what to do and give a home to them, we are superior. |
| KCfriedchicken86 Jazz Hands Age: 27 Gender: Male Posts: 337 | There is no problem with seeing eye dogs. A blind person has an easier life and the dog gets to have a home and food. Domestication is perfectly fine in my eyes, giving an animal a home is not a problem. |
| doctor. In The Murder Scene  Age: 30 Gender: Female Posts: 23302 | KCfriedchicken:But does that actually make us superior or do we only do this because we feel we are? |
| misa misa. Shotgun Sinner  Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 8241 | I do think that humans have superior intelligence and intellectual capacity than animals but I am not sure if that makes us morally superior or just superior period. I do think one interesting thing that hasn't come up yet is that the animals with the closest to human level intelligence like dolphins and chimpanzees also do all the same horrible things that people do like killing others of their species in territorial wars, cannibalism, rape, killing other animals not for food but for lack of a better word 'fun'. (e.g. dolphins kill porpoises which they don't eat and which do not pose any real threat to them). In this way are animals actually that much different to us? Maybe we shouldn't romanticize the animal kingdom so much? Animals are like us but they have our flaws too. |
Options
Go back to top
Go back to top