Do you agree that animals should be treated with the same respect as humans?

Answer 1

I'm going to try to offer an answer without putting any of my own viewpoints into it. People believe animals should be treated just as well as humans for different reasons. Some people belong to religions, such as Hinduism, whose followers recognize animal deities or believe their ancestors can reincarnate in the form of an animal. Others simply recognize the immense ways animals have contributed to humankind over the years, providing us with transportation, food, clothing, and companionship. And from this recognition comes appreciation for them, to a point at which animals are seen as our equals--or, at the very least, they deserve the same level of treatment, respect, and affection we do. But perhaps the biggest reason people think animals should be treated just as well as humans is they see no reason NOT to treat them just as well. They too can feel physical pain, they too suffer when they're neglected, abandoned, and abused. They too thrive on affection. People figure, why not treat them just as well as we should treat one another? There really is no logical or ethical argument for the inferior treatment of animals. ________________________

PLEASE READ THIS IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO ME. the animals have helped developed many medicines and surgical techniques. i won a debate about animal testing and everyone in my class thought animal testing was so mean and at first everyone was with the affirmative side but once they heard what we had to say they ended up siding with us. that just proves that most people make opinions without doing research for both sides of the argument. we don't give the animals much credit and i think they should have some type of holiday for the animals in animal testing. maybe give them a day off. but the truth is we need them that's all there is to it. unless you want to go up and have them test on you. don't be a hypocrite and protest against it.

ok so i take this question a little diffrent. i take it as farm animals like horses for instance. i think you should put your animal in an inviroment close to what it would be in the wild. like no heated barns they stay outside. and i don't put blankets on them they have a coat and the blanket gets it so that coat wont grow. if they were in the wild they wouldn't have that. animals have their instinct and they are smartenough to figure things out they have for years. don't get me rong i respect my animals and i think people do need to realize wat these wonderfull animals have done for us and a holiday would be great i think people take this animal abuse to far. like if a horse kicks you i think you have every right to hit it back. in the wild that's wat would happen. im not saying beating but you need to get the point across your the boss not them.

My opinion differs from those above. With regard to the first answer, the primary assumption seems to be that our (i.e., human) needs or desires come before and above any other creature's needs or desires. Man is not the only animal in this world, and he's not the only one needed to sustain it. Why should Man's needs come before those of other species? Simply because we appear to have a greater intelligence than many? Wouldn't a better use of that intelligence be to find a way to make life better for ALL the world's animals, including humans? I would make the argument that animal testing is no longer necessary and, should volunteers be needed for a test, at least humans can voice whether or not they choose to participate. An animal is given no such choice and I do not believe that we have the right to "volunteer" them. By the way, giving the animals used in testing a "holiday" would be like giving slaves a day off from whippings; a sad and sorry gesture meant to ease the conscience of those who abuse them. With regard to the second answer above, I'd have to disagree with: 1) treating animals that have long been domesticated and used by Man as if they are still wild and still have the resources their ancestors did, and 2) hitting or beating an animal that you have asked to work with you. Domesticated animals do not have the survival skills their ancestors did and have become dependent upon humans. To expect them to provide their own warmth, shelter, or food neglects the owner's responsibilities to their animals. Similarly, to hit or beat an animal whose "rules" of communication or trust you've broken (if a horse kicks you, it has perceived you as a threat, intended or not) is to abandon the intelligence you possess to solve a problem and instead resort to expressing your anger violently. It's much easier, and better for all, to work with animals in a leader/follower relationship than in a boss/slave relationship.

I agree with the last person in for the most. A holiday for animals would mean nothing to the animals. Unlike we humans, they are not goal oriented, emotional, or contemplative. I won't deny that animals are smart. My dog pees on my shoes if I don't take her places, but I also know she's not human. She doesn't need to be talked to or know her parents.To address why people think that she should, I'll put it in one word; Disneyesk-anthropomorphism; because of Disney and other media types, humans have related themselves to stories of animals. They believe that Bambi knew his father when naturally deer breed and run. They believe that because of Lady and the Tramp, that dogs fall in love and are gregarious. They believe that because of Finding Nemo that every fish must stay in the ocean because they've got a frog-fish flipper and have to support their dads because their mom got eaten in a very unfortunate series of events. They think that because of Babe, every little pig has a mind of its own and fears the chopping block. Having been raised on a farm, I know these things to be false. Humans try to make humans out of animals, when they're completely different all together.

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I think that some people think, "Treat them how you want to be treated." So if you think like that too, wouldn't you not like it if you were treated differently?

This is also REALLY IMPORTANT: I respect the answers given, but nobody has really argued the opinion that I have myself. People ARE animals, like it or not. You are an animal, but you're blinded by civilization to the reality of the matter.

We are raised to be blinded like this. If children were raised in the wild they'd behave savage, because that's who we really are.

In short, animals are only different to humans in the way that your left hand is different from your right, one isn't developed and the other is over-developed.

well think about it this way: if u wer an animal (what am i saying, humans r animals), how would u like it if u were treated cruelly? or, if u were a poor human, how would u like it if u saw sume really pampered poodle walking down the street or something?

Answer 2

If you mean should animals be treated with love, kindness, fed well, given room to run and play, etc., then yes, they should be treated the same as humans. If you mean should animals be given the same rights as humans, then no, they should not be treated the same.

Answer 3

I doubt animals have much use for a right to freedom of thought and speech, a right of free assembly or a right to education etc.

A bit more:

Of course animals don't have freedom of speech, a right to education, etc, but they should have a right to be treated humanely, as in:

No animal testing

Not killing animals for fur

Not participating in dog fights

No puppy mills

Not keeping animals where they have no shelter, water, food

No hitting animals -Contrary to popular belief, hitting a dog does NOT teach it

not to pee on the floor, etc. It only teaches it fear of the one it loves, and who is supposed to love it. It is complete meanness, ignorance and stupidity on the part of those who beat or whip a dog when they arrive back home to it has chewed a pair of shoes, actually believing a dog can rationalize why they are being hit or kicked, or screamed at.

Answer 4

They should have the right to be free from enslavement and cruelty.

Answer 5

yes ! they definitely should, just because they don't have the facilities and power we do, does not mean we shouldn't respect the rights of animals.

Answer 6

Because animals have more wild behavior's, so we need to tame them.

Answer 7

It will only waste effort and potentially even frustrate the animal. Animals are not wired the same way as humans.