I never said anything against that did I? I just don't understand why some people even have pets when they consider them nothing more than something they own and have to feed. That's all.
Probably mate, I mean someone can own a pet for a number of reasons but I should hope the main is love and/or companionship and not just because they simply can.
I don't have many principles that determine whether or not a being is superior or inferior to me. The only thing I would say is if an entity has zero capability to understand abstract ideas (without ailment in the entity itself), then it is inferior to you and me. LOL I knew you'd quote that. This presupposes humans evolve at all. Take a guess. Tell me what I think of the word "evolve". As for adaptation, not only are we able to adapt as the average creature does, but we can adapt by problem solving. They cannot. If I am in a cold environment, I can build a fire to warm myself up. Animals would have to wait until they develop a kind of resistence to the cold.
Let's talk about this for a moment, eh? What's interesting about human beings is that we actually have far more in common with the carnivore (cats and dogs, specifically) as opposed to the herbivore. Take packs in either animal. They typically consist of one alpha male with a mate or more with all other males in said pack being sons. Then once the males are old enough, they leave their birth pack and go start their own and I think the females do as well. Human beings work very similarly. In our families, they usually consist of one father and one wife (or more if they're polygamists) that make offspring and once the offspring are mature enough, they leave the family and go start their own with other human beings. And then there's the obvious social aspect. Both cats and dogs are social creatures. So are human beings. This is how cats and dogs are easily integratable into our families and this is why they're amongst the most common type of household pet. We're pack animals as well. A human family, if you look at it from an ecological standpoint, is really a pack, we've just substituted the words. Thus, it is why it's easy to view a cat or a dog as a member of the family because they integrate so well into it. As for straight up viewing my cat and dogs as a member of the family, I'm a bit more detached. I love them and they certainly entertain me, but I see them as a pet/property, not as a member of the family. What does treating a pet with "respect" mean? The way I see it, respect is something that's earned. There's no being in existence entitled to any kind of respect simply because it exists as far as I'm concerned. I love my cat and I take care of her, but I certainly don't respect her. She's beneath me as far as I'm concerned. Hell, I don't even respect a lot of human beings simply because they haven't done anything to earn it.
Well I don't know what to say, I purposely got a cat to bring him into the family so to speak and could never think of him as just my property. He's special and means more to me than any person or thing on this planet other than my SO. It means treating it with respect like I said, not everyone goes by the so called standard of it being earned. You can literally respect an object or anything on Earth or that matter, it's up to that person really. Beneath you? I've never once sat there thinking that towards anything including a person, either way I personally respect him for his personality and lovely qualities.
All living beings want to live a life free from pain, suffering, torture, enslavement and to raise familys. Just like the black man before slavery was abolished, an animal wants the same. Animal rights technically "exist" but they are not implemented. If you read the legislation on animal rights, you would see the hypocricy in it. How can people think its cruel to kick, starve or not take a dog for walks as animal cruelty. But a pig can spend its life in a cage with no sunshine until it is painfully gasses or slaughtered in one form or another. (Even worse if halal). People will debate this point by saying "i only get grass fed organic meat, etc etc". Most of the time they arent, take away/restaurant food isnt like this. N a lot of these " animal welfare products" are not any better. Sorry for ranting.
How come you dont have the right to tortute a dog? But you have the right to torture pigs, cows, sheep, fish? Even if its indirect.
You answered, but avoided what that answer implies. This discussion is about rights. What rights should be afforded to those inferior to us? Also please explain your thoughts on what makes us different then animals, or do you not believe we are? If you are suggesting it's the ability to problem solve then what about humans that cannot do this? I know you mentioned ailment? Is that something science decides? You are a smart guy, you can see where I'm going with this and I don't think that is your belief. At least I hope not...lol. Good analogy and point.
How do you indirectly torture another being? I don’t have the right to torture those animals so I don’t see your point.
By buying animal products. You are causing demand, meaning more animals are bred and live a life of slavery and imprisonment until they are painfully slaughtered. You have the right. You can do whatever you want to "non pet animals". Just watch any footage of farms and livestock and you'll see. You can go start a farm tomorrow and do it, just most people utilise the right by letting someone else do it, so they can be ignorant of the truth.
I’m not ignorant of the truth and I don’t approve of the conditions most of the farms and factories operate under. I get my meat from my butcher and I did research the farm that provides the meat. I also don’t buy wool, leather, or furs.
Sorry i wasn't directing it towards you. Im pretty passionate about the subject and can get a bit hot headed. This is why i usually avoid the subject lol. I agree local small farmed produce is better. Factory farming is horrible, but the sad truth is the majority of meat comes from it. Im not trying to point the finger or judge. For all i know we could go to heaven and god says (if there is a god/heaven) "i put animals for you to eat, they have no feelings or anything".
No apology needed. While I believe animals can be used for food, I don’t agree with the waste and ways in which a majority of the factory farms operate under. I do believe there should be laws which hold these places accountable for their poor treatment of these animals. I also support a return to local small farming practices.
