Are human lives more valuable or of more worth than those of other species?

[Shadow Wolf]

Rubbish...

It's not rubbish. We are all so heavily intertwined into the tapestry of life that everything down to the smallest of microbes to the largest of trees and strongest of mammals all play their role in the continued existence and survival of all life. Such as, the billions of microbes that live inside us that keep us alive and healthy, the creatures that eat carrion to replace nutrition, plants that exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen, mammals that exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide...it's why we see so many human interventions fail because the introduction or subtraction of just one species can have dramatic effects on the local ecosystem.

 

[Godobeyer]

It should be "I mean" no (s) with I, but with She, He, it and with names, such as SG means ...etc

I don't know why my English not good these days

 

[Pudding]

We can speculate what will likely happen what will likely not happen if specific alternative methods have been used to deal with the situation, but we'll never know what will actually happen if the zoo keeper have using those alternative methods, because we cannot rewind the time to try those alternative methods to know what'll happen if the alternative method is use.

 

[Pudding]

I thought the opinion of "human lives more valuable/worth than those of other species" may can compare with:
- the times when human slavery is popular, the master think they are more valuable/worth than the slave
- the white supremacy, the belief that white people are superior to those of all other races, especially the black race, and should therefore dominate society
- some god's believers who think they're superior to those who don't follow their god
- opinion that men is more superior than women in combination with misogyny
- nationalism

The difference is that:
- human think they're more superior than non-human animal
- human think they're more superior than other human

 

[Pudding]

I know about that story. I thought it was awful that they killed the lions. I'd rather that they kill the idiot. He apparently wanted to die, anyway.

If they kill the people they'll be going to jail.

 

[gnomon]

As is having your child fall into a gorilla pit...stuff happens.

Actually, given the history of children falling into enclosures I would say that killing every silverback in order to save a child is far less unlikely and unnecessary than the fact that children get into things they are ignorant of.

 

[psychoslice]

You cannot put a price to any life, animal or a so called human, to an ant, its own life is worth more than your's or mine.

 

[psychoslice]

I mostly view it in terms of capacity for conscious thought and the ability to suffer or be happy.

For example, oysters lack a brain. Their well-being does not particularly concern me. A gorilla's life surely does.

Many humans also lack a brain.

 

[gnomon]

Don't.

I didn't particularly care for you response earlier....but that is expected.

I still hold an a specific quibble with that statement in your OP but the thread has gone beyond that.

Don't regret.

Now I'm going to pee over my own response. "I still hold an a specific".......yeah....sometimes I drink.

"hold an a specific"........****ing grammar!

Ugh. "care for you response". "you response".....

I'm now thinking about going sober solely for the grammatical imbecility of my own.

And yes this stupid self-reflective post will be followed up by something OP pertinent.

 

[Pudding]

If you think the zoo keeper have used a wrong method to save the kid, what will you do instead?

Imagine the situation, you're the zoo keeper, maybe is on the process to prepare alternative methods to save the kid which without involve killing the gorilla. Before preparation complete, the gorilla lug the kid in the pen a little forcefully, which in some way can be making the situation more panic, what'll you do? Continue with the preparation of previous plan? Tranq the gorilla with hoping the tranq will not anger it which may end up express its anger to the kid?

In that immediate situation you have no time to thoroughly think about it, your panic may make you more easy to misjudge the situation. You haven't thought about the gorilla's intention to lug the kid can be to bring the kid away from the screaming of tourist. It seems like the movement of lugging have make the situation more tension, can you allow the risk that "the tension may increase" and let it happen? After the gorilla lugging the kid in the pen, can you allow the risk "what it may continue to do in a more forcefully way" and let it happen? What'll you do?

How successful the rescue going on will be depends on how experience and wise the zoo keeper is, whether anyone making mistake in that situation (like the tourist screaming make the gorilla lugging the kid which intensify the situation, or misjudgement made by the zoo keeper), the preparation time of the equipment require for the rescue. Note that panic can make the zoo keeper to more easy in making misjudgement.

 

[Smart_Guy]

That's just very doubtful it would have turned out bad for the boy. Harambe carried him away from the noise and screams of the crowd and even stood him up. If a human does those things, we would easily see the non-aggressive and concerned nature over such actions, but because of our fear of certain animals many saw the actions of possibly endangering the child, even though there were no indications Harambe had any intentions of doing so.

I honestly don't know, SW. It could be that we're just having wishful thinking with the ideas nice movies we watch like those of Disney that animals actually have predictable fixed states of mind like we humans do. As much as I want it to be a 100% no risk situation, once I imagine it was my child there, I feel no regret, although I do feel sorry and sad, they took the shot just because of the at least so very slim chance that the animal might do anything unpredictable. Animals act on instinct and no indications at a moment does not mean none all the way. This life is not a sweet family movie, it's the real thing in which such undesired decisions could be made. And now it's done. I honestly wouldn't leave it to chances or wait until something bad really happens. A risk is a risk.

 

[gnomon]

You cannot put a price to any life, animal or a so called human, to an ant, its own life is worth more than your's or mine.

I can name that price.

If anyone, be it another species or not, threatened the life of the one I love, I would kill it if necessary. Never mind it's protected status. And I would hold no regret at all.

In other words, I would lay down my own conscience to protect the one I loved regardless of the status of the one, no matter the species, if it threatened the life of the one I love. It's common among our species and other animal species to do such a thing.

Individuals make this decision actually on a rather frequent occurrence. From the Kurds who have successfully staved off the group we call ISIS in attempting to spread their rather ignorant point of view. They have named a price on their own life to give it up to protect their own. To the female who decides to have an abortion from numerous situations that led her to that decision. Many of them life threatening decisions such as an ectopic pregnancy which has such a small chance of viability but an even greater chance of killing the mother. A price is paid in order to save a life.

Life definitely has a price. It's culturally driven among humans. It's species driven across the biological need to survive.

I can put a price on any life. From the plant life I routinely consume and the to animal life as well that I consume as a member of an omnivorous species.

That's life.

 

[psychoslice]

I can name that price.

If anyone, be it another species or not, threatened the life of the one I love, I would kill it if necessary. Never mind it's protected status. And I would hold no regret at all.

In other words, I would lay down my own conscience to protect the one I loved regardless of the status of the one, no matter the species, if it threatened the life of the one I love. It's common among our species and other animal species to do such a thing.

Individuals make this decision actually on a rather frequent occurrence. From the Kurds who have successfully staved off the group we call ISIS in attempting to spread their rather ignorant point of view. They have named a price on their own life to give it up to protect their own. To the female who decides to have an abortion from numerous situations that led her to that decision. Many of them life threatening decisions such as an ectopic pregnancy which has such a small chance of viability but an even greater chance of killing the mother. A price is paid in order to save a life.

Life definitely has a price. It's culturally driven among humans. It's species driven across the biological need to survive.

I can put a price on any life. From the plant life I routinely consume and the to animal life as well that I consume as a member of an omnivorous species.

That's life.

Yes life does have so called prices, but that doesn't make your life any better than any other life, if you feel that you need to be bigger than another life, then that's your problem, don't bring other life's down to your own meager wants, it just doesn't mean anything at all, its nothing more than your own ego wanting to be bigger than what you are.

 

[Tomorrows_Child]

I already stated my case that we are equals.

Not to me but tbh I don't care. There is no intelligent case that can be made for humans being the equal of animals.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I honestly don't know, SW. It could be that we're just having wishful thinking with the ideas nice movies we watch like those of Disney that animals actually have predictable fixed states of mind like we humans do. As much as I want it to be a 100% no risk situation, once I imagine it was my child there, I feel no regret, although I do feel sorry and sad, they took the shot just because of the at least so very slim chance that the animal might do anything unpredictable. Animals act on instinct and no indications at a moment does not mean none all the way. This life is not a sweet family movie, it's the real thing in which such undesired decisions could be made. And now it's done. I honestly wouldn't leave it to chances or wait until something bad really happens. A risk is a risk.

It's not a Disney or family movie scenario, but acknowledging and observing the social nature of our fellow primates. Literally, if we had a human instead of a gorilla rushing the boy off and standing him up, we'd have no problems seeing or acknowledging that as non-aggressive and non-threatening.

Not to me but tbh I don't care. There is no intelligent case that can be made for humans being the equal of animals.

We are animals, so there is one point already.

 

[suncowiam]

The true measure to this ideal is if you're willing to sacrifice your own life or a loved one for another species.

It's very easy to do so with other people's lives at stake.

And for all the meat eaters suggesting "all animal lives matter", well, isn't that convenient?

Hey, I don't want that gorilla to be dead but it was placed into a situation that was never going to end well for it, so I blame the zoo.

If that was my kid, I would not leave anything to chance. And I can't find fault for those that didn't leave anything to chance after the child entered the exhibit.

I do find fault for those that left things to chance before the incident, like:
* Not ensuring the exhibit was secure enough to separate humans from animals.
* Not keeping track of the child.

 

[gnomon]

Yes life does have so called prices, but that doesn't make your life any better than any other life, if you feel that you need to be bigger than another life, then that's your problem, don't bring other life's down to your own meager wants, it just doesn't mean anything at all, its nothing more than your own ego wanting to be bigger than what you are.

I'm not degrading any life.

I merely recognize that there is a price to paid for my continued existence. As well as yours.

It's the basics of biology.

It has absolutely nothing to do with ego.

 

[psychoslice]

I'm not degrading any life.

I merely recognize that there is a price to paid for my continued existence. As well as yours.

It's the basics of biology.

It has absolutely nothing to do with ego.

I see, yes in that sense, yes I think you maybe right.

 

[gnomon]

Not to me but tbh I don't care. There is no intelligent case that can be made for humans being the equal of animals.

Other than the fact that we are animals.

 

[Smart_Guy]

It's not a Disney or family movie scenario, but acknowledging and observing the social nature of our fellow primates. Literally, if we had a human instead of a gorilla rushing the boy off and standing him up, we'd have no problems seeing or acknowledging that as non-aggressive and non-threatening.

Well, because that would be a human, not an animal. And in that case scenario what a human would do is obvious and clear, not as unpredictable as what an animal would do.

But anyway, I guess it depends on our individual perception and nature, and we all make decisions we think right at such cases. You're too kind, SW, and I like you and respect your views, even if I don't always agree on them.