How Should Humans & Animals Relate?

Question: How should humans and animals relate?

Objection 1: Animals have rationality. Their actions reflect their beliefs (MacIntyre 55). If animals believe humans are friends, their actions towards humans will be friendly. Humans should recognize their common rationality with animals and establish an interdependent, mutually beneficial, give and take, human-animal relationship. Humans and animals can provide eachother "protection and sustenance" (MacIntyre 1). Human and animal interdependence will lead to increased human and animal flourishing. A human can depend on a dog to protect the house from burglars at night, a rooster to wake them up in the morning, or a horse for transportation. In return, these animals are dependent on humans for food and shelter.

Objection 2: Humans should stop discriminating against animals. The "number of one's legs…or whether one lives in the trees, the sea, or the suburbs" has no relevance to the importance of their interests (Regan 2). Animal slavery should join human slavery in the "graveyards of the past" (Singer 4). Animals should have equal protection under the law, and human culture and human moral reasoning needs to be changed in order to protect animals. In the new moral reasoning, there is no justification for killing animals. Farmers, fishers, and hunters should be viewed as murderers. Humans and animals share more time together, develop a shared language, and have an equal representation in the global economy. In this process, they become the same. Humans become more animal-like, and animals become more human-like. Like the racial, sexist, or homophobic slurs, "nigger, cunt, or fag," animal names like "dog, rooster, or horse" become species slurs, and are socially unacceptable. Every animal should be given a personal name, like humans.

Objection 3: When we eat animals, they are "sacrificing themselves so that humans might live" (Hauerwas 72). They are analogous to Jesus in this way. Animals share with humans a "chief end" to their flesh (Hauerwas 68). This chief end is achieved through virtuous behavior to fulfill one's purpose, and will result in an eternal life and friendship in the kingdom of God. Humans and animals share the same purpose of Earth. Which is not to be eaten, but is live happy and virtuous life together with their neighbors, dong good work and not consuming meat. Animals and humans are one in the same in the eyes of God. Eating animals is a form of cannibalism and is sinful. The vegetarian is the moral exemplar.

ON THE CONTRARY: Humans are not animals. Humans are the image of God, and animals have no ability to think.

I ANSWER THAT: God has given humans the dominion over the Earth. This means they may do with it whatever the please. Moral, legal, and theological reasoning only applies to human-human relationships.

Reply 1: Animals have no beliefs, no ability to reason, and no ability to think. It is desperate to be friends with something that has no mental capacity, such as a brick wall or a rat. Animals are equivalent to coal, water, or corn in that their value is measured in terms of how it can serve humans. Humans should relate to animals as objects that can serve human needs. If an animal does not serve humans, they have no purpose on Earth and should be destroyed.

Reply 2: Animals have no interests, no ability to suffer, and no ability to communicate. They should have no rights, and no injustice can be done to them. Humans should become more God-like, and animals should become more material-like. Anthropomorphism, applying human characteristics to animals, is wrong. It pollutes the purity of human beings.

Reply 3: God intends the salvation of humans, not animals. Animals have no relationship with God; they cannot display virtuous behavior and they have no purpose. Humans can treat animals however they please. Farming, experimenting on, and eating animals are all good, moral practices. The Earth, including animals, is human property. Humans are the only thinking entities on Earth, they are free to manipulate the Earth and animals in their interests.