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  #72  
04-29-2004, 08:11 AM
Volsung
Boombat
 
: Mar 2004
: At the margins
: 212
Rep Power: 22
Volsung  (33)

PA, though you decreased your post, I suppose I'll respond anyway.
First off, I doubt it is possible for us to agree on this since our views appear to be fundamentally very different. Nevertheless, I'll state my case.

"Humans have dominion over animals." I cannot argue that we do not subjugate and use animals for our own purposes. However, if the point you're making is that Humans are meant to have dominion over animals, I cannot agree. I see no factual evidence that humans are in any significant way masters of animals. You may argue that we have mastered cats and dogs, but when we look closer, this is no different than the relationship between an elephant and those birds that clean elephants. It is a symbiotic (almost parasitic) relationship. You may quote scripture. For that I have no argument, as all religions and psuedosciences are non-falsifiable. This isn't to say that they are right or wrong; simply that the main points cannot be disproven, due to the inherent vagueness.

"We are very different from animals" This is in only one sense true. All other known animals have definite niches which they are able to subsist within. They are given particular defense mechanisms and abilities to directly suit their lifestyle. We are as of yet the only animal which must rely upon its ability to reason abstractly to live. Possibly dolphins do this as well. I fail to see the relevance having a larger brain affords us spiritually, other than letting us recognize that we have a soul. Surely all that's happened is that we've recognized we have souls, and "wildlife" has not?

It is likely that I'm too close-minded to see why only Humans would have significant souls, but I think the most telling example of our equal footing with other creatures is our handling of the earth. If we were truly meant to dominate the world, would we be destroying it?

I agree with Statikk about the animal cruelty action. Its always good to raise awareness of procedural problems. Especially those with potentially harmful side-effects. Who knows what all those antibiotic, beakless, cannibalistic, internally bleeding chickens do to us after ingestion? My position remains as before More and better testing must be done before cloning can enter the food production staples.
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