Humans Vs. Any Other Species

[Quintessence]

In a trolley problem between a human being that I did not know and any other animal that I did not know - I would choose the human every time.

I can't even begin to think of how I would make an argument against such.

Any other animal? Have you considered species that at risk of extinction? Would you condemn an entire peoples to increased risk of extinction to save one human?

 

[libre]

Any other animal? Have you considered species that at risk of extinction? Would you condemn an entire peoples to increased risk of extinction to save one human?

That's an interesting question.
I think if the species was endangered but still important enough in the ecosystem that there would be wider affects that would lead to the loss of more animal or human lives than I would consider it.

However I think if you were to make me choose between a random human and a loggerhead shrike, I would pick the human being with certainty. I would mourn the animal, but I don't think the preservation of a species alone would change my ethical stance.

 

[Quintessence]

That's an interesting question.
I think if the species was endangered but still important enough in the ecosystem that there would be wider affects that would lead to the loss of more animal or human lives than I would consider it.

However I think if you were to make me choose between a random human and a loggerhead shrike, I would pick the human being with certainty. I would mourn the animal, but I don't think the preservation of a species alone would change my ethical stance.

Fair enough. This sort of sentiment being overwhelmingly common is why we have a sixth mass extinction crisis driven by a combination of human overpopulation and human overconsumption. Oh well. It's not like we haven't had five other mass extinctions. Humans will die off sooner or later and biodiversity will continue...

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Deleted a response, as I mixed up acronyms and responded to an argument that you were not making.
That said, I can't see any other way to interpret this than the ways the above posters did.

OK.

Would you save the puppy or the baby? Why? And would your decision be first and foremost analytic or impulsive.

 

[libre]

OK.

Would you save the puppy or the baby? Why? And would your decision be first and foremost analytic or impulsive.

Answered this question, I would choose the human in every instance. My decision would be impulsive based on my preexisting views.

Yet I don't understand what you are suggesting with your allusion to aspd.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

By what measure?

Humans are better than every other animal at cycling and bowling.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Answered this question, I would choose the human in every instance. My decision would be impulsive based on my preexisting views.

As would I, and I suspect that this would be true for the vast majority of people (including, by the way, the thread's author).

Yet I don't understand what you are suggesting with your allusion to aspd.

I was "suggesting" nothing. I was asked if others might be "wired differently," and I offered one known category where that would clearly be the case. Can you suggest others?

 

[sun rise]

Just found this thread. .

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

My summary: In the human form, the soul's evolution through earlier forms comes to an end. But "importance" does not apply - one soul is essentially as important as any other. Also, Meher Baba indicated that there is intelligent life on other planets who migrate to Earth to enter the spiritual path. So these souls from other worlds are also equal in essence.

Meher Baba's teachings for most of this Journey of the Soul

 

[Augustus]

As someone who is apparently "deluding" themselves and part of the ultra-elite 0.001% percent, that's not how it works. Satisfying vital needs doesn't mean that which you use to satisfy said needs is less important. If anything, it is more important because I would simply not exist without the sacrifices of that which I must kill to live. And the relationship between consumer and consumed is something I consider deeply sacred. If this makes me "delusional" so be it.

Well, as one of the 800,000, I will say that I don't make the usual good/evil distinction. As I see it, things are what they are, people do what they do, and each is subject to their own karma.

I fully agree we have no more intrinsic value than other animals, and that it is a good thing to reduce our anthropocentrism.

I believe there are limits on how much we can do this though, and that we have to accept we privilege humans over other species to some degree. I see no way human society can function without this as each of our lives comes at the cost of hundreds of thousands of animals, and mostly for our comfort and convenience rather than basic survival.

This is what I meant by

We may think that objectively we are no better, or perhaps even worse, than other animals, but almost every human in history has considered us as implicitly more important.

We think humans have rights, but can only offer limited rights to animals, and these depend on our affinity towards them.

We generally feel we have the right to our property (or at least our community has the right to its property). We are less accepting of bed bugs having the right to our bed.

We will kill off lice with chemical weapons to improve our comfort, but few would accept the use of chemical weapons on neighbourhood children who cause an annoyance and thus reduce our comfort.

Almost all of us have killed animals for convenience, almost all of us would view killing humans out of convenience as being morally far worse.

Every time we drive, take a bus or train we are complicit in the death of many insects. If we killed a similar number of humans every time we travelled it would be exponentially more traumatic. We take the greatest care to avoid harming humans, far less so animals.

We might also normatively accept that all human life is equal, but that doesn’t change the fact that generally value the lives of our family and friends more highly than those of strangers and our actions demonstrate this.

I’ve certainly never met a single person whose behaviour reflects them viewing animal life as the absolute equal of human life, yet many people will certainly accept the premise that human life in not intrinsically more valuable.

 

[ReformedGuitarist]

According to Genesis 1:26-27, humans are created in the image and likeness of God. This is a designation that is not given to any other creature, and it is what sets humans apart and makes them more valuable than any other creature that exists on earth, as well as any extraterrestrial creatures we might discover in the future.

 

[Bear Wild]

Humans have language, which allows us to at least attempt to make gestalts of a sort. To a degree, we did.

Birds have language too. with their own gestalt

 

[Bear Wild]

By what measure?

Humans are better than every other animal at cycling and bowling.

Yes, but we are terrible at flying without help.

 

[Bear Wild]

I believe there are limits on how much we can do this though, and that we have to accept we privilege humans over other species to some degree. I see no way human society can function without this as each of our lives comes at the cost of hundreds of thousands of animals, and mostly for our comfort and convenience rather than basic survival.

How far can we take this privilege? Is there any point in causing the extinction of other life that we need to reevaluate this position?

 

[Augustus]

How far can we take this privilege? Is there any point in causing the extinction of other life that we need to reevaluate this position?

Imo, the logic of reevaluating this position would require us to start exterminating humans for the benefit of other species and rewilding much of the planet.

I agree we should put a lot of emphasis on preserving ecological diversity, and reducing overpopulation, but doing so incrementally necessarily prioritises our needs over other species.

We could very easily reduce our impact on the environment massively, and by far the most effective way of doing this would involve killing as many people as possible as quickly as possible (without using nukes) and returning to a more traditional way of life.

Few of us would support such a process though.

 

[danieldemol]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

I wouldn't say they are superior to or better than other species, however they are more important to me. I would deny a lion a meal of fresh human if i got my way in a struggle between the two. As for why, it is probably more to do with the way I evolved than a thought out rational explanation i expect.

 

[The Hammer]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

Nope, just interconnected with everything else around us.

Nothing is more or less important than anything else.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

Let me start by giving an analogy. All humans are of equal worth. But I do not have an equal responsibility to all humans. I have a greater responsibility to my family, especially my children.

In the same way, all life is equally important, but we as a species have a greater responsibility to each other.

 

[Erebus]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

If I had to choose between killing an ant and killing a human, I would kill the ant. I've accidentally trodden on snails plenty of times and while I always feel guilty about it, it doesn't traumatise me. I expect accidentally killing a human would cause some real trauma.

This is coming from somebody who broadly dislikes humans too.

I don't see humans as uniquely special or divine when compared to other animals and I take a dim view of anthropocentrism. We're ultimately just another organism and our extinction wouldn't end the world (unless we got real trigger happy with our nukes perhaps). However, I can't deny that I assign an emotional value to humans that exceeds the emotional value I assign to most other animals.

 

[blü 2]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

What does your religion or philosophy teach about this?

OF COURSE humans are the best! I'M a human so I know!
OF COURSE Western Civilization is the best! I'M part of Western Civilization so I know!
OF COURSE English is the best language! I speak English, so I know!

On top of that, only HUMANS exhibit the personal values humans most greatly treasure! Sure, dogs are loyal, pigs are delicious, parrots can talk, other creatures have their virtues. But only HUMANS have what matters (to humans).

(Despite my respect for Pythagoras, I don't believe in metempsychosis, but if I did, I'd want to come back as a human.)

 

[1213]

In your personal opinion, are humans more important than, superior to, or better than other species on this planet or any extraterrestrial life that may exist in the universe?

Why or why not?

Dolphins are better swimmers and possibly wiser than politicians. Giraffes taller. Whales bigger. Cheetah is better runner. Birds better at flying. Eagle has better vision.... Yet humans can beat them all. I think it means humans are therefore superior to them.