May 18, 2019

We Must Do Better to Protect Our Animal Friends

Animal rights is an idea and a movement that asserts that animals should be able to live free of human interference and that they should never be exploited for human gain. Animals do have some rights, but not nearly enough.

Naysayers argue that nonhuman animals lack language and complex cognitive abilities, which somehow makes them lesser-than. However, animals have the ability to experience emotions like pain, fear, happiness, connection with others, and despair.

When a sentient being can suffer at the hands of humans, we have the obligation to protect them from our own brethren. Animals have value beyond what they’re worth by the pound, and stripping them of that value creates a culture in which animals are viewed as food, fur, or servants.

The animal rights movement seeks to eliminate this view of animals and to give animals rights beyond what they currently enjoy. It’s not about making nonhuman animals equal to humans, but about taking their inherent value into consideration when making decisions.

For instance, you could have a Big Mac for dinner. Alternatively, you could eat a garden salad full of flavorful fruits and vegetables. That’s a choice.

So is starting a business that harvests animals like we would a field of corn. You could, alternatively, start a business that doesn’t infringe on animal rights.https://sentientmedia.org/animal-rights/