Why is a human life valued higher than that of an animal?

If the decision to save either a human or an animal came up in a serious situation involving saving a life, the human would be considered first.
In that case humans are valued more than animals.

Only by humans.

Humans have the capacity to understand their own mortality. Humans have indeed evolved beyond animals in their thinking, their emotions, and their reasoning ability. I concede up front that that not all humans live up to their capabilities in these areas. While all life is valuable, I will go out on a limb (and prepare for the inevitable attacks) that for these and other reasons a human life is more valuable than an animal life.

I believe that most humans on a sinking ship would value their own life above that of an animal also on that sinking ship. If there was room for a Great Dane or a human child on the last life boat, I believe most would give the spot to the child.

Because being human we empathise with other humans. What is good in us we see in others and what is evil in us we see in others. Sometimes we value humans less than animals.

Truth is, we will never know what occurs in the minds of animals. Anyone who has ever been close to an animal knows they are sentient beings.

Humans are the only animals capable of such hubris as to think we are somehow special or superior.

Because humans are doing the valuing.

^^ Ding, ding, ding.

@marinelife Jinx

I have a question for those who say animal life is just as important (if not more) as human life: Are you vegetarians?

Doesn’t that fact that animals are at the very least incapable of communicating their value mean that humans have evolved further than they have? If animals were capable of communicating what is occurring in their minds they would by default be on the same level as humans. Therefore they would deserve to be considered equals.

This doesn’t mean that animals don’t deserve to be well treated and well cared for, it just means that humans life should be valued over animals. An animal is not going to cure cancer. An animal is not going to bring peace in the Middle East. An animal is not going to solve world hunger. An animal is not going to cure the problem of pet over population. For that matter an animal is not even going to be able to take a shot at it. Human life is more valuable because humans are capable of higher level thinking that at least recognizes these problems and considers the need for solutions.

Adding to what @tups is asking, have you who argue for the sanctity of animal life contemplated what would become of humans and our planet if all animal species were allowed to multiply without restriction?

@SuperMouse
“Doesn’t that fact that animals are at the very least incapable of communicating their value mean that humans have evolved further than they have? If animals were capable of communicating what is occurring in their minds they would by default be on the same level as humans. Therefore they would deserve to be considered equals.”

So essentially this boils down to, we can’t understand their language therefor they are not trying to communicate

All those issues you listed that an animal won’t be able to do are man-made issues….

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room That’s not what I’m arguing at all, I understand the need for all that. Hell I live in NJ the deer population is insanely high, I understand why they need to be culled. I just think there is a difference between culling or raising an animal for the purpose of feed and just believing because its an animal their death is no big deal.

Have you ever had a non-human answer to the contrary?

@Sunny2 Hell ya… Milo posts here all the time :P

@uberbatman Well, of course!. Silly me.

@tups: Milo here; No one in this household eats any animals, except me, and it’s only a random ear or snippet off a tail. (Sorry I haven’t been here much recently. I was in Cambridge where I just got an honorary degree from Harvard.)

I think you are missing the point that we put more weight and value on different things without really meaning to say that we devalue something else.
Lets take our own children. Car is coming and you have just enough time to push your child to safety but risk your own life. Well most of us would do that. Does not mean we do not value our own life. Same scene only this time your dog (who you adore) and your child. You only have time to push one to safety. Again, you pick your child.

Now this time it is your dog and your neighbors child. You risk yourself once more for the child. Now it is your dog and the neighbors dog. You will probably yell for the dogs to get out of the way. Some people may risk their life for their dog. But most will stare in horror.
Now it is your child and the neighbors child. Most will choose to save their own child.
Does it mean you are a monster. No. Our instincts is to protect our own.

Now as for eating other animals. Well they eat each other too. Does it mean they are cruel, or devalue the life of the other animal. No. They eat to survive.
I don’t see them as being of less value. If anything I value the sacrifice of their lives so that I may get the nutrition I need. Lets not eat cows or chickens or rabbits and let them live their lives out in the wild. Think they won’t meet death through disease, or wild animals eating them? Think they won’t bring about disease for humans or other animals? I love deers but I know if they are not hunted every so often the herds will become to large and they will begin to starve and will start to pose a danger to drivers and they will make their way into residential areas. So is it kinder to shoot a few so others will live or kinder to let them starve, and get hit by cars or get injured wandering into residences trying to find food.
Life isn’t always so black and white so we have to put value on things so we know what to do.

It’s all about beliefs and programing. A life form is a life form, human or animal and I do not believe there is any solid reason to value a human more than a Penguin, a Sea turtle or a Goose. Humans have decided ( with coaching from religious belief ) that we are somehow superior to all other life forms. Bullshit..wrong, delusional, arrogant and just plain self important, egoic, crap.

Our reasoning power and problem solving abilities are matched by many other species, dolphins, the great apes, swine, even rats. Clearly these species have not caused the same carnage to their races or the planrt…bonus points for their level of intelligence. haha
Brain size has nothing to do with intelligence.
This is why most rats surpass most humans in sheer cleverness, tenacity, and learning ability. lol

Many animals may be sentient beings, but I would argue that the human animal is the most sentient being.

@Coloma Does “a life form is a life form” extend to insects? How about plants or bacteria?

Only humans understand the notion of value. It would make sense that when it comes to life, the concept “value” would have the greatest significance when applied to the creature that recognized the concept.

I don’t like most people, so I’m probably one of the few that actually does value certain animals’ lives over certain humans’ lives. I have to really make an effort to empathize with other people, or have compassion for them. I value my connection with my dog more than I value the random person sitting next to me at the doctor’s office. So, yes, my dog’s life is more valuable to me than that person.

It might make me a horrible person, but I don’t see why humans are all that special.

@livelaughlove21 I love you, you are too awesome! lol
I could not have said that better myself, so I’m not even going to try.

@augustlan Technically yes, of course, but…we have little chance of not squashing a bug or bacteria on occasion, if a cat hits our windshield or we inhale one, we’d know it. lol

I suppose if we were to ask the animals they would say animals life is more important. We are being self serving that is all.

@Coloma But if you were faced with the choice of saving an insect, plant or bacteria versus a human being, would all things be equal to you?

@augustlan Well…if you’re going to split bacteria…haha, of course not, unless it was a choice between a maggot and Ted Bundy…I’d give the maggot mouth to mouth first. lol

Seeing only humans on Fluther, I’d say this question is a bit biased.

To my point about humans being the ‘most sentient’ animal: Would it even occur to any other animal to ponder this question?

Milo here: Ahem.

@Milo, If I give you a treat can you step away from the human conversation?

@augustlan We can never know. But I refuse to assign non-human animals a lesser status simply because we do not know for sure.

@tinyfaery Let’s suppose that other animals do, in fact, wonder about this. Has there ever been a case of an animal saving a human rather than another animal of their own species? Assuming that there hasn’t been (and I could be wrong, of course), then we would have to also suppose that, to them, the answer is clear. They value their species more than another, too.

I’ve heard stories of animals rescuing people. Remember the little boy who fell into a Gorilla enclosure. One of the gorillas kept the boy safe from the other apes.

I’ve heard stories of dolphins saving humans. We see animals break “instinct” and care for another animal. I know you’ve seen them, because I post on them on my Facebook page all the time. :)

Well, it’s not always. At least, not for me. It kind of depends on the human.

Humans just think they are the superior race, the top of the food chain. When it comes evolution really we have evolved the most and used the knowledge we have learned to keep evolving. If we had not we wouldn’t stand a chance against some of the worlds top hungry predatory carnivores at the top of the food chain, let’s kill them with this stick or this rock. But we are smart omnivores aren’t we. So we overindulge in everything.

I’m a vegan for various reasons. One reason is actually for my child’s future and her children’s future and you’re childrens future. Humans eat too much meat.

To me humans are important but we are to smart for our own good in fact we are just destroying planet and the animals.

The Caspian Tiger is extinct because of humans.
Tasmanian tigers are also extinct because of humans. The last known one died in a zoo of all godforsaken places. And there are more we have killed off, because we just can’t leave them alone. I know in my heart why we get attached but when we kill for food we vacuum chickens up in a lawnmower, or we hang pigs and gut them. Why not have human farms for the cannibals? I’ll just not partake in the festivities of being a carnivore. Besides in doing so my IBS is gone, and my diabetes is completely under control & I’m no longer on any diabetes meds my levels are staying in the average levels in canadian readings that is! :)

—That gun is loaded, but it’s not in my hand, That gun is loaded, but it’s not in my hand 
The fire burns, I’m not the one with the match, man that gun is loaded, but it’s not in my hand—
~Walk Off The Earth, Red Hands~

@tinyfaery I know about animals saving humans and caring for other species of animals, and I think it’s wonderful! Just like humans often save and/or care for other animals. But in an either/or situation like the one I mentioned up there ^^ (save a human or save an animal), I’m guessing that most humans would save a human, and most animals would save a like-species animal.

Humans have tendency to understand each others’ emotions or feelings so have animals. If one’s dog or cat were suffering from never lasting disease, that person would empathize its feelings. I think animals and humans cannot express their feelings or emotions to each other. Humans love animals, so do animals. Like humans, animals learn care, respect, love, sympathy, etc as they grow up. Like humans, they learn what to eat, how to eat, how to defend and survive themselves.

I agree with @augustlan. There are stories of animals saving humans but we forget all the time that animals also attack humans. Sometimes defenseless humans who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn’t always attack humans because they posed a danger. Sometimes you hear of pets who attack babies because they were startled or felt a little peckish.

I’m convinced that most (if not all animals) can feel fear, pain and trauma. There’s even some evidence which suggests that plants can react to our thoughts. Unlike most animals though humans have the ability to be concerned about future mortality and morality. It’s the concern and safety for human women and children over that of a man’s which usually wins out in human culture, and it’s the concern and safety for all humans which will win out over lower animals whether those lower animals are female or babies. Humans have always placed intrinsic value on life due to sex, gender, age, economic class, importance of person, etc so why would humans stop giving their own welfare more consideration over lower animals now?

How far along the evolutionary tree are we now? Do I believe that man is at the pinnacle of his existence or are we only ¼ along? To value my current intrinsic value of all things as I am now seems futile. But we must. and we do. not well although improving.. Animals including man have progressed and declined quickly over the last 100,000 years living as we do, eating drinking. changing as well. WE eat less meat now then 10,000 yrs.ago more fruit and grain. killing animals is LESS we crowd them out and they die more, it’s how thing are. the emotive value of them will not be appreciated till they are all gone

@livelaughlove21 I don’t like the majority of people either. As a matter of fact I can’t most people I come in contact with. But that doesn’t mean that in @Pandora‘s example I would save the dog over the kid.

@Paradox25 I agree that animals do feel fear, pain, and trauma, this is pretty much evidenced by the fact that one of the most ancient instincts is fight or flight – brought on by fear. But just the fact that they feel these things doesn’t mean that animal life is more valuable than human life, or even as valuable. I really think that @augustlan puts it best when she points out that while humans aren’t the only sentient beings, they are the most sentient. That being the case, human life does have value over animal life.

I am not convinced that the “man made problem” arguments turns the equation around either. Animals are just as capable as cruelty, to their own kind and to others, as man. Pit bulls attack to the point of killing, a new alpha male in a group of gorillas kills the infants to cause estrus in the females so he can spread his seed, etc. Of course response to that is that it is that all about instinct. Ok, it is all instinct. Doesn’t the fact that they have no control over these instincts mean they are less aware and less evolved than humans?

Some animals may have sentience, or are at least approach it, but other animals are just automatons. Worms, insects and snails are not sentient beings.

Technical note: there are no such things as evolutionary levels, and thus no such thing as being more or less evolved than something else. One species comes across a trick for survival after 300 million years and then sticks with it for the next billion years without needing to change a thing. Another species takes 1.5 billion years to come across its survival trick and has been going at it for about five million years. Which is “better” or “more evolved”?

After all, one might point out that the description of the second species is misleading. It did not take 1.5 billion years for the second species to come across its survival trick because that species did not exist for the whole 1.5 billion years. What we are calling the species was really something else for most of that time. All species technically come across their survival trick in short order. It’s just the species itself that took a long time to come about.

Species evolve differently—and some are more complicated than others—but they are not thereby more or less evolved. They wind up with different features, and what features they have or lack may be morally relevant. The amount of time it took them to show up on the scene, however, is quite irrelevant.

How do we know humans are the most sentient animals? There is know way to know. Since we have no empirical evidence, saying humans are most sentient is just an opinion.

^ Elephant’s are sentient beings .

@tinyfaery I agree that we can’t know for sure. I’m just basing my opinion on the evidence at hand, and making my best guess.

If I remember correctly, though, in the question that spawned this one, you opted to save an animal over a human. In that case, you are also assigning a higher value to one over the other, just in the opposite direction. If we can’t know, how do you decide the animal’s life is worth more than the human’s? Shouldn’t it at least be a 50/50 proposition, with maybe ease of rescue coming into play when deciding which one to save?

@Coloma is doing the same, despite her “a life is a life” outlook, when she decides to save an animal over an insect, or a person over a plant. I guess my point is, that we are all making a value judgment somewhere.

@augustlan ” Shouldn’t it at least be a 50/50 proposition, with maybe ease of rescue coming into play when deciding which one to save?” For me the answer to that is relation. One being lives in my house and is loved by me the other is a stranger.

@uberbatman Okay, that seems logical, so I can understand that even if I don’t agree. What if both the animal and the human are strangers to you?

@augustlan I honestly don’t know how I’d react. If it were a child I’d probably save the child but I think a lot of that also has to do with the cultural conditioning I’ve been brought up with.

Truth is I put humans on a pretty low level. Most I put somewhere near cockroach.

@tinyfaery I’d definitely choose a strange dog over a cockroach. :)

I would love to know why many people have to draw the line?

Since we know that elephants are sentient beings and there are even proposals that whales are people too why are we not more knowledgeable and treat them with respect instead of such disrespect.

There are animals that do not have knowledge or any other means of how to not treat other animals so they do not know or don’t understand that to get protein they do not need to kill, because they are carnivores and we are not. But we as humans know that. But we overindulge and we take all the grains we could be feeding to the humans because meat affects climate change and somehow we’ve created this huge disconnect between animals and eating risen as food. I haven’t eaten meat for a long but I still get protein. Meat free isn’t for everyone and I’m not saying do that but cutting back even helps, it’s not just for you right now but it’s for the future :)

I just wondered tonight if the cannibals ever had human farms, so they could have free access to dishes like Hannibal :s

“Why is a human life valued higher than that of an animal?”
Valued by whom?

Well…my avatar of my beloved goose ” Marwyn” ( he turns 15 this week! ) can attest to my devotion and belief that all life forms deserve solid, ethical treatment. When I went to therapy after my divorce from my raging narcissistic ex I told the therapist that my ex would tell me that I loved that goose more than him. She just laughed and said ” you probably did!” lol

Marwyn actually was therapy goose and my therapist had me bring him to meet some of her other clients, she was just as smittem with the worlds most intelligent and humorous goose.
Marwyn the gooswami….wiser and more loveable than most humans by a longshot. ;-)

I agree with @uberbatman , as I originally mentioned, it is all about conditioning.

I have never met Marwyn but I love him :) should have his own book “The adventures of Marwyn the gooswami” ;) He could fight off evil predators too.

I’m glad tonight when I ate my potato and zucchini casserole along with my faux Mandarin meat that it was not actually made from any of the bird family. :(

@SuperMouse @augustlan puts it best when she points out that while humans aren’t the only sentient beings, they are the most sentient I think that I’d said pretty much the same thing when I had stated Unlike most animals though humans have the ability to be concerned about future mortality and morality. How can you define more sentient any better, assuming that it’s even possible to do such a thing?

Bye bye, humanity.

In my eyes any living creature is sentient. A baby has just as much feelings as a human but it cannot speak so instead it shows signs of stress and we can see that with many animals we try or have domesticated, even dogs are not always as happy as the wild wolves. You never hear about the wolves outing a family member to live in a single cage home for the rest of it’s life alone.

More sentient is up for debate even with our own species. Just because I have feelings towards one thing does not mean someone else will have the same feelings about it. Feelings can be felt on a personal level sometimes creating the outward appearance of unhappiness instead of spoken of.

In our society many men are taught to be stoic.

In the wild Dorsel fins drop, lions pace, tigers stalk, and stalk and stalk.

The video that gets me is that one guy letting his kids tease the baby tigers. And then he tells his kids they are “playing”. OK. Do that in the wild :/ good survival skill.

If those tigers ever get loose they are going to be preying all sorts of games with children.

To those that said they don’t like humans – maybe one should look at one’s self before putting other humans on the same level as cockroaches? Maybe the biggest problem is yourself and your clouded view?

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

And no this has got nothing to do with religion, I just think the quote pretty much covers it.

@tups I don’t care what people think of me and I don’t expect anyone to give a hoot about what I think of them.

Work in law enforcement for a few days and then tell me how wonderful people really are.

Ah, who am I kidding? I disliked people way before I started working in law enforcement.

I basically like people, being an extrovert nothing is more fun than the pleasure of encountering witty, humorous, intellectually enthusiastic others, however…the type of people I enjoy the most are few and far between. Animals may not be able to talk about interesting subjects but they sure make up for it by their loving presence and amusing antics.
In this respect they are preferential in many ways.

@Coloma ” nothing is more fun than the pleasure of encountering witty, humorous, intellectually enthusiastic others, however…the type of people I enjoy the most are few and far between” I feel the same way except maybe a bit more extreme since I’m rather introverted myself.

@uberbatman Well dude, I’m still waiting for the green light on that tree house you’re going to build for us in Costa Rica. You build it, I’ll cook and entertain you. lol

Would you all sacrifice your own life for the life of an animal? For your pet? With so many people saying that animal life is as valuable as human life I started to wonder about this.

@SuperMouse Years ago I risked my life to save my horse who bolted when she was startled by gunshots in the woods by a lake I rode on. I was riding bareback and she took off down a boulder strewn hillside and I KNEW if I did not throw myself off the risk of her falling and hurting herself let alone me was grave. I threw myself off her and hit the rocks and sustained a concussion, dislocated shoulder, seriously cut and bruised elbow and a wrenched knee. She made it down the cliff without injury.

I was not so lucky.
I limped home with her barely conscious with my shoulder hanging and was hospitalized for surgery the next day to have a pin put in my shoulder because I had torn the ligaments so severely it would never hold together again. My heroic effort for my horse, Sugar. :-)

@Coloma so you would trade your life for an animal’s life? I know I run the risk of being seriously trashed for this, but there is no way I would even consider trading my life for an animal’s life. I wouldn’t even think twice. I would feel bad for the poor animal, but it or me? It goes.

Humans = soul and an eternal spirit.

Animals = soul, once dead they are dead, no eternal spirit.

@SuperMouse I would also trade my life for an animals, but I don’t really value my life so I don’t think the question really applies to me.

Almost every day I think about suicide or have hallucinations, I can get lost in them like a movie playing.

I’m having a lot of stress right now over my siblings because they don’t care about our mother.

Today I was depressed and really low and I could feel myself getting worked up and (cue dog) she was right there sitting in front of me trying to give me a buddy paw to focus my mind on her and not on getting upset. Then she does this funny thing with her ears that I can’t explain but she literally looks like she smiling at me. And then I smile at her and she licks my face stares at me intently looking for my mood maybe and when she is satisfied she walks away wagging her tail. Shes a lab I guess she needed a job I am her job.

So I never really said that I actually need my dog and her special capabilities. She alerts me when my lows and highs are coming on. I’ve never had her certified but people are amazed at her intuition. She will do things like lick my fingers, sit on my feet and if my mood has not calmed down by then she will go to another person who is stable and she will shake and pant at them until they calm me down.

She does this with any mood that is overpowering and overbearing I don’t know how to explain it but she knows when I am unstable and bipolar sometimes I don’t even have to speak. It’s like to her maybe I am having some sort of seizure or something and she can sense that I’m not normal and she only does it with me.

Thing is I guess if didn’t have my dog I would be doing things I shouldn’t be doing and acting the way I shouldn’t be.

God does things for a reason. When my husband was alive he kept me stable. I never would of ever had dogs of my own accord I don’t believe in owning them. Then my husband passed away and I had to take the dogs which were my husbands dogs to begin with and one became what my husband was ironically and now she keeps me stable. Weird.

@SuperMouse Well..maybe not consciously, then again, but…clearly I behaved in action with my horse, so that kinda speaks for itself wouldn’t you say?
Circumstances in the moment certainly influence ones behavior, my natural reaction is to swiftly evaluate a situation, as I did with my mare.
Impossible to say until the situation presents, but, again, if I had to make the conscious choice between an evil human and an animal, yep, the animal would win hands down.

@Coloma , I give you great credit for your courage and presence of mind in jumping off the horse, but don’t you think you were acting in part in your own self-interest? As bad as things were, they could have been even worse if the horse fell while you were on it.

@LostInParadise

“As bad as things were, they could have been even worse if the horse fell while you were on it.”

If I’m not mistaken, I think that is the point @Coloma was making :/

@nofurbelowsbatgirl But they could have been worse for the horse and her was the point @LostInParadise was making.

Technical note #2: Just because an action works out in one’s favor does not mean that one was acting out of self-interest. To act out of self-interest is to act in a particular way because doing so works in one’s favor. Furthermore, actions can have more than one motivation. That self-interest might have been one motivation for an action does not entail that it was the only motivation for that action. And finally, one’s own interests and the interests of others need not come apart in all instances. If one sees that a particular action is best for all involved—including oneself—and chooses to act accordingly for that very reason, then it is meaningless to refer to the action as self-interested.

@LostInParadise Agreed, I would say it was a split between both, however, my first thought was for her safety as my weight was a handicap to her balance on rocky ground. I made the best decision for us both but was more concerned with her safety. Broken legs do not not mend well on most horses not to mention yes, if she fell on me, or rolled over me in a free for all tumble, we both could have been dead or seriously injured. Broken necks, legs, backs, etc.

I am very good in crisis situations and think fast, my quick wittedness prevented a potentially far worse outcome for us both.

^ ;) I am glad it worked out :).

I’ve often wondered at that. Especially as it’s considered bad form to value a human life over another one…if people based their decision of whom to save on gender or “race”, (most) jellies would freak out. And rightly so.
Just a few decades ago, it was still widely accepted that animals were incapable of feeling pain. Before that, white people believed Africans were incapable of emotions – and they, too, did actually __believe__ that. It’s dangerous to put ourselves on pedestals.

@Pandora: “Sometimes you hear of pets who attack babies because they were startled or felt a little peckish.” – As opposed to humans, who only attack animals, children and babies for good reason and after having thought it through?

Is only logical be loyal at your own of many types. My family and friends have priority over other people, I have mostly fellow Japanese friends, I value Earth above Mars, humans have priority over other animals. Only extremist groups PeTA and ALF prefer other animals, should not heed such mad fanatics.

Because humans have the power to protect every other species. Although it mostly goes the other way around…

Simple, primitive anthropocentric chauvinism.

I have no time to read all 81 of the above answers, but I want to answer this anyway.

I’m not so sure humans are valued above other animals. We have rules imposed upon us by the various prevailing religions, and the civil law that is derived from them, but I’m not so sure people, in general, really feel this way. Witness how, especially in the developed world, the pets that are doted upon, the many owners who will spend thousands of dollars on surgeries to save them, but not a cent to the homeless or any attempt to search out someone who may need dentistry. They spend hundreds per year on grooming bills for these animals, but not a penny toward the hundreds of millions of humans, many of them children, all over the world suffering from malnutrition. The wealth spent on large statues, monuments, and whole mausoleums found in pet cemeteries throughout the world and over the centuries. Or the many eccentrics throughout history who have left whole fortunes toward the lifetime and perpetual care of their cat or their dog, or their favorite stallion.

These pets are valued because of their proclivity for unconditional love for their owners, for which no human is capable. Or the undying loyalty of a dog, the years of quiet companionship of a cat. The blind trust invested into the master of a good horse. These are the things which are valued above all else. Few humans can match that.