Posted by alexandra_k on November 27, 2004, at 0:22:10
In reply to Re: Thats great Cass, thanks » alexandra_k, posted by Cass on November 26, 2004, at 23:49:19
Yeah, I don't like the athropocentric world view much either. It is simply wrong to say that we are 'most evolved'; it is not like we are the 'best' or are at the 'top'. Evolution is like a tree where there is a single trunk (ancestor) and all the different species are just different branches or twigs. Everything that exists today is similarly evolved because it all exists TODAY (at least thats one way we can look at it). It is true that we have distinctively human attributes, but then dogs have distinctively canine ones etc etc.
I liked your links. My understanding (though I may well be wrong) was that (according to the bible) people didn't eat meat until... some point where they were supposed to sacrifice them and then were told they could eat them too.
I have read a lot of stuff about how it is biblical that we have 'dominion' over the animals and so it was very interesting to me that your link challenged that and challenged the correct interpretation of 'dominion'.
(It is kind of like how the interpretation of 'soverignty' is a hot topic in NZ because according to the Treaty of Waitangi Maori should retain their 'soverenty'. - not sure how to spell that, they are probably both wrong!)
I also take the point that people try to argue for all sorts of stuff on the basis of the bible...
I think that there has been work done, however, on how established religion (perhaps rather than the bible explicitly) has taught that animals are gifts from god for us to do what we want with. Perhaps it is also because the differences between humans and animals are emphasised rather than the continuities... I dunno.
I just think it is wrong to subvert the interests of another for our own. Especially when there is little reason for it and it is unnecessary and unnecessarily cruel.
Of course we can argue about whether animal research is ok etc etc, but food is different: we simply do not need to eat animal products in order to live healthily.
But of course I am preaching to the converted :-)
poster:alexandra_k
thread:420601
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20041122/msgs/420775.html