What is Speciesism?

'Speciesism' is the idea that being human is a good enough reason for human animals to have greater moral rights than non-human animals.

...a prejudice or bias in favour of the interests of members of one's own species and against those of members of other species.
Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 1975
Speciesism and bigotry

Speciesism is often condemned as the same sort of bigotry as racism or sexism.

People who oppose speciesiesm say that giving human beings greater rights than non-human animals is as arbitrary (and as morally wrong) as giving white people greater rights than non-white people.

NB: Those working for racial or sexual equality often find this comparison insulting - they say that their struggle for equality has a moral and social importance that animal rights can never have.

Most people, faced with a difficult choice between a human and an animal, would probably react in a speciesist (or 'homocentric') way.

Consider this example:

A child and a dog are trapped in a fire. You can only save one of them. Which will you save?

Most people don't have to think about this for even one second.
Most people don't consider the relative moral status of the dog and the child relevant to their choice.
Society would condemn anyone who delayed in order to consider the correct moral choice.

Pure speciesism carries the idea of human superiority to the extreme of saying that the most trivial human wish is more important that the vital needs of other species... for example a pure speciesist would argue that it's ok for animals to be cruelly treated and killed to provide fur decorations for human beings to wear.

Few people take speciesism to this length. More commonly, they say that all other things being more or less equal, it's morally correct to take the human side when considering an ethical issue.

People who object to speciesism say that a difference of species is not a morally relevant difference - in the same way that a difference of race is not a morally relevant difference between human beings.

They say that speciesism amounts to treating morally similar individuals in morally different ways for an irrelevant reason.

Supporters of speciesism say that there is a clear difference between humans and other species, and that this difference affects their moral status.

They argue that human beings are more self-aware, and more able to choose their own course of action than other animals. This, they say, enables them to think and act morally, and so entitles them to a higher moral status.

But the argument that there are morally relevant differences between human animals and non-human animals is not a speciesist argument, since the argument is about the particular characteristics that are being put forward to justify the different moral status of human and non-human animals.

One argument in favour of speciesism is that it is biologically natural to treat one's own species favourably. Virtually all non-human animals treat members of their own species better than those of other species.

––––-

How long until my dog can vote?

Hell yes - my ancestors clawed their way to the top of the food chain, and I intend to stay there. Besides, bacon tastes good!



To quote one person's sigline "Prairie dogs have had just as much time on the face of this planet to develop high powered rifles..."

Is there a species alive that doesn't have this?

look at Cass Sunstein, one of our current Czars or some such, he belongs to a group that thinks rats, dogs , cats etc, should be given rights in court

yep

Thumbs up for human supremacy.

Human Power!

That's not bad.


I agree with this.


Opposable thumbs and tools FTW.

And I oppose more than their thumbs

A few years ago, a poster here said the following comment:

"Screw that! cows have had just as long to develop shoulder-fired RPGs"  


I feel the same way about a lot of things regarding animals.


It is obvious we are the top of any pyramid you want to construct. We rule over all other living things. There is no debate in this.  


ETA:
My Marine Biology professor, who was a brilliant woman and absolute lover of all animals ( think Steve Irwin, minus the accent and jumping on dangerous animals) had a poster above the doorway leading into her classroom:

"Always, at any time and in any situation, humans mean more than animals"  

Summed it up pretty damn well.

Yes I'm speciest.

Hypothetically:

If the dolphins, chimps, pigs, or squirrels achieve intelligence you think we are going to let them join our schools, take our JERBS, learn the secrets of TNT, guns, and the atom bomb???

TO THAT I SAY NO!

Round them all up and put them in the chimp reservation!  A technology quarantine upon them, let them figure it out on their own.

And if they start competing with us for precious resources, survival of the fittest it shall be!

I believe the quote was" "Screw that! cows have had just as long to develop shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons."I had it as my sig-line for quite a while lol.

 

The fact that this is even being discussed is a sign that our society is rotting from within.

Yes, I am.

Fuck the wombats. Let them evolve opposable thumbs and develop belt-fed weapons if they want someone to look out for them.

ETA: And fuck Peter Singer, too. He can rely on the wombats the next time he needs help with something. See if they come through for him.

Is demoncrap welfare parasite a species or a sub-species?

Red:
Exactly, I wouldn't want to insult my ancestors' hard work.

Blue:
One of my favorite quotes.  I often use it and replace prairie dog with whatever animal the discussion is about.

The human race is superior to all others, and is destined to rule the world!  

Does that make me a racist?  

Am I a speciesist?  

Yes I am.  I favor humans over other species.

Is that wrong?  If so, on what basis?

Oh please, everyone knows one  possum is worth ten human critters.

The way I see it, every species on this planet had as much time, if not more, than us to evolve to the point that it could manufacture firearms, settle the land for agriculture, conquer the highest mountains, cook the finest foods, and send one of its own to the moon.

They didn't.

We did.

Fuck 'em.

_MaH

Eh, I was close!

And it seems that this may be a bit of a template for many other applicable situations.

Absofuckinglutely I am. Other species are tasty.

Well played sir.

 

God put us on top for a reason

Only needed to read the title of linked article to know that the author is a crackpot.

Absolutely, and entirely without equivocation.

Fuck animals. Their concerns only matter insofar as they coincide with ours (e.g., deer are delicious, so we let the deer occasionally eat our bushes so we can shoot them and eat them later; we think dogs are adorable, so we put up with the occasional dog biting a kid).

fuck yeah... when a cow can send me a letter asking me not to eat it and making a good argument, I'll consider it... until then, they're food and have no rights.  If a mosquito lands on me, I'm swatting that fucker, not negotiating for drilling rights.  If a stray dog is in my yard and acts hostile, I'm taking it out with extreme prejudice.

I think it's cruel and shitty to be mean to animals, but they don't have rights.  Neither do trees, potatoes, or microorganisms.

i would save the dog. the logic is simple.  it's for the children.  see, letting the child expire would save it from all the agony of paying back the obama created deficit.

Kill all non-speciesists and let their dogs sort them out.

your god damn right I'm pro human.  Every other animal is here to serve us