Re: OT: Spiked Article/Atheists and EcoChristians

On Jan 5, 1:35 am, Lynn Allen <l...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I wonder why you argue so ferociously against the concept that humans
are indeed special among all the species on planet Earth? We have
abilities no other species has. Some of those abilities confer
privilege. Some of them confer responsibility. None of them should
permit us to wantonly waste and kill the other species that share this
world. And none of them should make us ashamed of our place in this
world.

I argue so ferociously against it because it is not true. Yes, we
have abilities that no other species has. So do ants. So do
cockroaches (could you survive being stepped on?).

The problem with the "humans are special because they are humans"
argument is that, first of all, it is a rehashing of the old Christian
argument that "humans are special because they have souls". Such an
argument - in either guise - places humans outside the natural order
of life on Earth. We don't belong to the ecosystem - we are Special.
Those animals and plants belong in nature reserves - we are not a part
of nature anymore. It is our job to "take care of" nature - not to
live in it.

The fact is, we are a part of the ecosystem. We are extremely well-
adapted and successful predators, at the top of the food chain. As a
part of the ecosystem, we (like other living creatures) require said
ecosystem to function normally - if it collapses, it will take us with
it. If we poison the water we drink, it doesn't just kill off
"endangered species" - it will kill us too.

Also, placing ourselves outside the ecosystem ignores the capabilities
that animals do have and the feelings and thoughts they do
experience. Whether or not bowerbirds make art, they are in fact
making something. Whether or not a mother chimpanzee experiences true
grief when her child dies, she is, in fact, experiencing something.
To say that animals are mere automatons governed solely by instinct is
wrongheaded and encourages cruelty. If an animal is a mere instinct-
driven automaton that feels nothing, why shouldn't I set it on fire,
for example? After all, I'm not doing that to a person.

LM
.

Relevant Pages

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