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Winning Position: Is mankind justified in its treatment of other creatures?
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Is mankind justified in its treatment of other creatures?
When we talk about an individual human we generally accept an individual human has certain "unalienable rights" regardless of whether we agree on what rights are afforded or who provides those rights. We do so knowing how we value a human being and empathizing with how we would want to be treated. In modern times this tends to be done regardless of the sophistication of the technology or society a person is in. Yet we do not afford the same level of value or rights towards other animals or creatures. Some countries and people treat certain animals in a higher regard such as cows as sacred, while still others treat them as a food source. Given different animals hold different levels of "sentience" and experience various thresholds of pain should mankind's treatment of certain creatures be better or is mankind justified in its treatment of other animals. This is not to say that certain animals or creatures are to be given the same rights as humans, but for there to be certain rights or punishments given the treatment of said animals or creatures. If someone tortures an animal what is the right level of punishment? If a creature is determined to be of sufficient sentience and intelligence, primates, should they be treated in higher regard with more rights?