What are our obligations to animals and why?

[boatsnguitars]

Simple question: What are our obligations to animals and why?

Please support your position with a logical argument.

I am looking for a comprehensive position on Humanities role in their existence:

1. Should we eat them?
2. Should we maintain their habitat?
3. Should we allow them to live, even if they want to eat our crops?
4. Are they beneficial to us, and so we should allow certain things?
5. Are they "God's creatures" and deserving of respect and allowances?
6. Are they our property?
7. Are they "Gods gift" to us, and to use as we please?
8. Do we have any moral obligations to them at all?
9. Are they indicative of our morals and indicate how we actually are, morally and philosophically, as a species?
10. As animals ourselves, what are animal's obligations to us?

[Miles]

Simple question: What are our obligations to animals and why?

For those that qualify, to kill them for food as humanely as possible. For those we don't eat, treat them kindly. "Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels."
source


1. Should we eat them? Some, yup. Others, nope
2. Should we maintain their habitat? Only when practical.
3. Should we allow them to live, even if they want to eat our crops? If we can't rid them by any other reasonable means, then No.
4. Are they beneficial to us, They can be. and so we should allow certain things? Like what kind of "certain things?
5. Are they "God's creatures" and deserving of respect and allowances? In as much as god has not been shown to exist, No.
6. Are they our property? Only if we have exclusive ownership as recognized by our society.
7. Are they "Gods gift" to us, and to use as we please? In as much as god has not been shown to exist, No.
8. Do we have any moral obligations to them at all? To not unnecessarily harm them.
9. Are they indicative of our morals and indicate how we actually are, morally and philosophically, as a species? No.
10. As animals ourselves, what are animal's obligations to us? There are none.

.

[boatsnguitars]

Simple question: What are our obligations to animals and why?

For those that qualify, to kill them for food as humanely as possible. For those we don't eat, treat them kindly. "Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels."
source


1. Should we eat them? Some, yup. Others, nope
2. Should we maintain their habitat? Only when practical.
3. Should we allow them to live, even if they want to eat our crops? If we can't rid them by any other reasonable means, then No.
4. Are they beneficial to us, They can be. and so we should allow certain things? Like what kind of "certain things?
5. Are they "God's creatures" and deserving of respect and allowances? In as much as god has not been shown to exist, No.
6. Are they our property? Only if we have exclusive ownership as recognized by our society.
7. Are they "Gods gift" to us, and to use as we please? In as much as god has not been shown to exist, No.
8. Do we have any moral obligations to them at all? To not unnecessarily harm them.
9. Are they indicative of our morals and indicate how we actually are, morally and philosophically, as a species? No.
10. As animals ourselves, what are animal's obligations to us? There are none.

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I think that's the general feeling, and I have felt that way for most of my life. I'm starting to re-think this.

For example, ought we try to save bees? Algae? Plankton? Insects?
Which ones can we eradicate? Which ones won't cause a trophic cascade?

Our ecosystems are finely balanced, and losing a single species can cause a trophic cascade, which could result in (like the loss of bees) to the loss of crops, or fish populations, etc.

The problem is, we don't know all those interactions, so each loss of species is a game of roulette.