I do not know how to interpret - We do have animals as vehicles of our gods , e.g: Eagle / Peacock / crow/ Bull (list is endless) so we are against killing . We worship cow as mother so in India it is banned to slaughter cows. So may be it is morality but to think they have souls , well I haven't come across !!!
In my culture animals can not be related to people. If we say we miss a dog which has died, people do not understand that very well. Especially when we are talking about the death of other people.
So, for us, animals are creatures of low importance. But I can not see an animal suffering and I can not kill any kind of life on purpose. Not even a cockroach, absolutely. I do not accept any invitation for the time I walk my dogs. This is their time, not mine anymore.
Vilemar Magalhães
Some humans act like animals because they fail to apply their trained conscience in making wise decisions. Humans are supposed to be hyper in thinking and judgement but its sad some stoop so low and are equated to animals. But, why should some of us behave in derogatory manner to animals? Its disheartening!
Dickson
Hello,
Considered one of the basic topics in scientific debates , human morality has been a matter of controversy. The question is whether morality is inherently part of human identity and culture or shaped in our minds by evolutionary processes. Unlike the proponents of Darwinism (e.g., Thomas Huxley) , who perceive human morality as "simply a human cultural construction" , many experts in ethics believe that moral systems practiced by humans have evolutionary origins and are a major component of human nature. In the holy book, Quran, your question has been addressed. It has been explained that man's moral systems , values, and beliefs can grow and reach to a divine level as in benevolent people whose acts and deeds are Godly. However, man can also slip to the lowest levels of ferocity acting like beasts by engaging in immoral behaviors and criminal activities. On this basis, you are right to say that certain humans are morally equal to animals.
Best regards,
R. Biria
Hello
Utilitarians believe that animals are members of the moral community, they are owed respect ,and their needs are to be taken seriously. They justify this by asking the question, "can animals suffer?" Yes, if someone were to cause an animal pain, they would be called out for an immoral act. In The Argument from Marginal Cases, utilitarians argue that it is (almost) always immoral to kill and eat "marginal" human beings, so therefore it is (almost) always immoral to kill and eat animals, and to painfully experiment on them. To utilitarians, animals are of equal importance to human beings because the only difference between human and animals is species. I agree with utilitarians that animals are as equally important as humans, but not just marginal humans, all humans. The idea that animals can suffer sits very strongly with me, and almost even more than human suffering because animals can be more helpless than humans
In some cases animals are not just equal to humans they are in fact superior! I actually love my dog more than some who who impersonate humans.
Utilitarians think that some humans are morally equal to some animals. Marginal humans and animals are morals equals. The reason that they are morally equal is, because that they can both suffer the same amount. Each can suffer, so that makes them moral equals. And if something is wrong to do to one of them is wrong to do to the other one. Some animals are even smarter than some humans. Pigs and primates are good examples of intelligent creatures. They feel that the way you should test if animals and marginal humans are moral equals then they should see how much they suffer. Yes, I feel that animals and some marginal humans are moral equals. If they can both suffer then, yes they are equal. If a animal is smarter than a human than, yes it is equal to a human or even better than one.
That may be analysed from different angle.
All animal born, grow, eat, drink, fight for food and resources, sleep, perform reproduction and then die. They have no such brain to think otherwise.
If any/ such human being spend whole of his/ her life by following only the steps of animals, then s/he or they may be compared with animal.
Every animal has some specific character of it's own.
The categorised human may be compared with similarity of character of any such animal.
(Such human are available in the world. Think critically, you will name a few of them, definitely).
This statement is a little more complex than it may first appear. Utilitarians think that animals are deserving of respect and moral treatment because of their attributes, which include the ability to feel pain and pleasure, and to think and experience. Additionally, animals also seem to engage in moral thinking and behavior. For example, an individual animal often will give a warning call to protect others of their group even though it draws the attention of the predator to them and puts their own personal survival at risk. It would seem that the superior moral abilities of human beings should be a reason to treat those less developed in a moral way and not be used as a reason or excuse to dismiss other species. After all, many animals are superior to humans in many ways. We do not run the fastest, see the best, hear the best, jump the highest, etc. Our ability to think the best and be the most moral would seem not to be a legitimate reason to treat other species poorly; rather, our greater moral abilities would seem to be a reason to treat others well.
Whooo, that's harsh.
Although, my veterinarian daughter will tell you that most animals are morally superior to most humans!
First of all, let's get the fact straight. Humans are indeed animals. We are evolved from our primate cousins. Both Bonobos and Chimps are closest relatives of humans. For example, the homology between the DNA (genetic material) of humans vs Chimps is about 98.8%. That said, the statement, 'some humans are morally equal to some animals' is wrong in many ways. In fact, 'morality' is an evolved trait within the animal kingdom, which we share with other social mammals. It's just a myth that humans are morally superior to nonhumans. What is going on in the world that we live in, I must say that the opposite could be true!
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/religious-or-not-we-all-misbehave
http://theconversation.com/are-religious-people-more-moral-84560
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJxRqTs5nk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYJf2xSONc
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/opinion/does-religion-make-people-moral.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/religious-people-beliefs-cling-contradict-evidence-facts-moral-compass-research-athiests-analytical-a7863446.html
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