This passage form Peter Singer, is describing us how the movement that prevent animal cruelty is significant. This movement is called the animal liberation movement; the main idea of this movement is that the Human beings have duties toward the lower creatures and mistreating them will be a prove of lack of ethical morality form the human. According to Singer, animals and humans have similar interest, so we as human should take in consideration by avoiding physical pain, these interests must be counted equally. Each tradition have different way to treat different species; the Buddhist adopt the idea of compassion among animal as well as human, the Western tradition which are ignorant, resentful and won’t be kind to species that aren’t like them. The author relates his thesis to Thomas Aquinas, who believes that being cruel upon animals might lead to being cruel to human. Singer also bring an extreme point that is stated from Bentham that shows when we propose a test to be aware of the capacity of reasoning, of autonomous action of use of any language in order to separate human from non-human animals, they are some human that fails the test just like the non-human. Bentham also point out the fact that infants will fails on this test as well because they don’t have any capacity however will be treated as human because they will be adult humans in the future. The author also makes reference to disable human, “human vegetable” and assume they won’t be able to do any of this things, just like animals. The point he is trying to illustrated us is that why would we treat them as equal to human but then treat differently non-human animals when they both have no capacity. The “crux of the philosophy of the animal liberation movement is to prevent the cruelty among animals because from an ethical point of view, whether we stand in two feet, or four or none, we all have the same interest.
This essay by Terry Tempest Williams, is describing us first the massacre of the prairie dog that occurred at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course, where over 400 prairie dog where gassed to death. There are 5 species of prairie dog and they are now threatened and might be in extinct in couple of years. The people wanted to exterminate the dogs because they were running the range because they consume a large amount of green grasses and forbs. According to Williams, “Prairie habitat not only for themselves but also for other grassland species. Prairies dog create diversity, destroy them, and you destroy a varied world (p86/87).” In other words she means, killing specie is also killing other species because is a circular, each one of us is in this world for a specific reason. If specific specie is destroyed, therefore, the other species that was relaying on it will progressively die as well. According to Williams, being in a world that mistreats animals is like living in a poisoned world, we are living increasingly toxic world, we showing that we have a lack of respect for life because these animals have a life just like we do and taking it away is just not right. Some country really tried to get rid of the prairie dog and when they did they saw how the dog had a tremendous impact on their environment and that now it different without them. Williams believes that animals know what is joy fear and love, and she doesn’t see a world without them. Williams won’t be able to live in a world only habited by single specie because it will be so lonely, and isolated.
These two passages are relevant to me; the authors are talking about the same main idea but with different approaches. I agree to their statement even though I won’t deny that I love my meat, chicken and fish and don’t think I will be able to give up on it. However, I believe that there is no need to be so cruel to animals, I have seen some video about Ohio
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