The Other Animals - an essay about animal rights.

With all I have read in mind I believe that animals, while still being treated humanely, are still there as a means to an end. While I am in opposition to torture and cruelty towards animals I still believe that humans are still superior to other earthly beings, and not just because of opposable thumbs. Once a person is old enough to have their own independent thoughts they begin to form ambitions, goals or other similar concepts. However, on the other hand, animals do not seem to form the same independent thoughts but instead rely solely on their birth given natural instincts. While most of us have the inherent desire to go forward in life and excel to greater things, animals instead seem content with only doing what they know and have relied on their entire life just as ones that existed before them have done. With this being said one must look into whether or not humans are superior and deserve more as far as rights are concerned solely on the premises of their own self propelled thoughts.

Peter Singer writes that, by some, sexual discrimination is the last known form of discrimination that should be recognized by people. While I agree that animals do deserve rights that entail being treated fairly and humanely, the line does have to be drawn at some point. If people were to treat all animals as we treat each other then many huge problems could quite possibly arise. One, for example, would be that people would not get the nutritional requirements that their bodies require since meat is as healthy to the body as is vegetables are and is required in a healthy diet. Also, while an animal would be pushed from his home to make more room for us without much hesitation...