Outgrowing Asimov

Eating cows

There is growing consensus in the scientific community that several psychological problems that afflict humans can also appear in animals. If the mind, and the self-awareness that goes with it, is what distinguishes us from other animals, and if it is shown that the minds of animals are similar enough to ours to share certain psychological problems, does that not negate our uniqueness?

To quote the article in Seed magazine: "The idea that humans share a psyche with other animals is enormously challenging. First, it alters the basic model around which biomedical and other disciplines have organized theory and terminology. Concepts like sense of self, empathy and intention have largely been considered exclusive to humans, and have therefore defined what animals are not. Such perceived dissimilarities have shaped theory, practice, law and custom for centuries. The human-animal gap influences how we live, how we formulate scientific questions, how we practice science and even what we eat."

If we are more alike than different from other animals, what gives us the right to declare ourselves their masters? Because we have the power to?

Imagine harvesting humans for meat. Suddenly that piece of cow you have on your plate does not seem so appetizing anymore, does it?

posted by Au Yong, Haw Yee @ 6:31 PM