Posted by so on May 20, 2005, at 21:27:03
In reply to Re: Just for the record... » so, posted by alexandra_k on May 20, 2005, at 18:35:16
> > Not to worry. Lots of animals eat other animals.
>
> But they don't know any better.
> Animals aren't moral agents.
> We, on the other hand
> With our comparatively developed brains
> Should know better.
>
> It doesn't excuse the inconsistency...
>
>
I would ask the adminstration if it is uncivil to write things that could make animals feel put down, but I'm starting to enjoy the exchange. Of course, animals can't read, but somebody might read your post to their dog or cat.How do we know they don't know any better? Other species have reasonably well developed behavioral cultures.
What I'm implying is that presumption of our own supieriority as moral agents is just that, an assumption. Our cultures of morality finds evolutionary roots in other species, which in turn seem to have codes of behavior.
Maybe if we are moral agents, though, and animals aren't, under your system of cosmology, it's okay to eat them.
poster:so
thread:498173
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050509/msgs/500586.html