Animal Humanities: treating animals like humans or respecting them in their natural habitats?Discussing animals' lack of freedom in a classroom does nothing to help them. I admire the people who break in and let animals free. And I admire those whose diet is free from animal and their byproducts that were taken in inhumane ways, whether for religious reasons or because of their conscience. I admire those that fight with law and reasoning to give animals the rights that they feel that they deserve. We can cry about the issue all we want but the real way to solve it is action, not writing. Although I am somewhat affected by the subject, I probably never stop eating meat or animal byproducts because personally I am simply too lazy. I will be more responsible about where my food comes from, but not completely cut it out. I will probably never write laws to free animals. And I will probably never break into an animal farm and break out animals. That is not my calling.
Maybe its my upbringing that desensitizes me to a certain extent. As Sullivan quotes Lynn White in Ecology and World Religions, "the emphasis in Judaism and Christianity on the transcendence of God above nature and the dominion of humans over nature has led to a devaluing of the natural world and a subsequent destruction of its resources for utilitarian ends." (X: 94) Growing up as a Christian I grew up going to church every week and hearing stories of creation: God created all the animals and that wasn't enough, so He created humans-- the star of all of creation. I grew up understanding that the ability to reason placed me above animals. I was more intelligent and therefore more important. This being said, I did not cu
t off the legs of spiders to see what they would do. (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, p. 206-9) I enjoy every single part of nature and would prefer to spend a day outside than in a shopping mall. But, when it come down to it, my sympathies lie with humans more than with animals. I am much more likely to take action to help abused children than to go out of my way to advocate animal rights. Although this may seem callous, it is the truth. This is balanced out by my love for nature. Greg Garrard in Ecocriticism states that "environmentalism and animal liberation conflict in both theory and practice," but I disagree. (X: 99) By preserving the environment and ecological habitats you preserve the animals in them. Those that liberate animals will need a habitat to put them into. Without those that work to preserve the environment preserve the world that the animal liberator will release animals into. Although their means are different, the end is the same. Environmentalism and abused children are where my passions lie. If every person had the same passion than there would be too much good will in one area and none in all the others.
