I’ve been toying with the concept of life’s relativity. A brief conversation I had with Richard Dawkins has emboldened the meme. So here’s what I’m thinking.Life, consciousness, and humanity are relative terms. Sure, a rock is dead, but the smallest building-blocks of life (as it is usually used) are actually simply “less alive” than more complex life forms. Bugs are alive, but less alive than humans, and even humans can be less alive than other humans. The word LIFE, then, can be defined as a formula of the ability to multiply and the level of consciousness (also relative), as well as other variables. I think this is an interesting premise. The whole concept that “all life is sacred” has caused the abortion debate, the vegetarian movement (besides health reasons), and opposition to death-with-dignity, when in fact all life is far from equal. In fact, this is a flawed concept.Life relativity helps to solve these issues, or at least places them in perspective. We can see how life began (it was a process over time, not an instant), how it is evolved, and how it continues to evolve. We can ask questions as to the value of life of an orangutan vs a vegetative human. New ethical questions arise, and old ones go away — and I like that.How would we measure this? Could we actually quantify “life”?
I find myself agreeing most with what tyro has been saying.
I am a moral absolutist: I don’t think you should do anything to anything that doesn’t want you to.
That’s not a completely attainable goal, of course. Sometimes it’s necessary to do harm to others to avoid harm to ourselves or others. If you were stranded on a desert island with nothing to eat but other animals, you could be excused (I wouldn’t go as far as justified) for killing and eating them.
Animal experimentation is rarely, if ever, necessary. In many cases, it’s actually harmful to the humans it’s supposed to benefit. Check out:
http://www.pcrm.org
im a vegan, i find it hilarious that so many people still think being vegan is extreme, and even funnier when atheists call veganism extreme, considering the amount of name calling and prejudice we recieve for our opinions. I base my veganism on the same values, common sense. I dont eat meat or dairy because we are biologically herbivorous and meat and dairy is not necessary, plus its bad for you, and of course you contribute to the intolerable suffering non human animals. As an atheist, i see other species as equal owners of this planet and we must learn to treat everything equally before we can attempt to call ourselves civilised.but thats just my opinion.