4 ms·

I draw the line at "my species come first". So if someone cares more about other species than about humans that's unethical to me.

ghshephard 11y ago
I read some interesting articles about Cecil/Lions in South Africa. While, in the west, there is a lot of support for Lions as "Majestic Creatures" - there are a lot of people, particularly those who live in the same habitat as the Lions, that are not such big fans, and are more than happy to see them wiped out to the point where they only exist on Wildlife Reserves/zoos. There are also lots of scenarios where we try and protect, at incredible costs to human welfare, protected species like the spotted owl, or gopherus agassizii, the California/Nevada tortoise that's endangered by Solar Panels in the Nevada Desert. While all of us (for any reasonable definition of all of us) are happy to see small pox, guinea worm, malaria, ebola, and now zika, wiped out in the name of advancing humanity, it's pretty clear there is a greater divide when it comes to lions, owls, and tortoises. And, before you say, "Well, the owl/tortoise only have financial impact" remember that $$$ can be easily translated into lives simply by dialing up safety standards/inspections/health care/etc... With incredible returns in the third world, and, even some low hanging fruit in the first world as well.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 11y ago
  Along the same lines, advanced human civilizations have pretty much always wiped out large predators in the vicinity of their dwellings. If you look at where large predators such as lions and tigers are, they are in under developed areas where people in the past did not have the ability to eradicate them. Now that they are able to, the people are often lectured by outsiders who in no way face risks from these animals that they should not do what is best for themselves, but sacrifice their livelihoods and perhaps their lives for some greater environmental good. Many times the modern conservation movement smacks of leftover colonialism where white people in safe areas purged from large predators attempt to keep brown people from bettering their lives by doing the same things that the white people's ancestors did- eliminate threats to themselves and their livestock from wild large predators.
vinceguidry 11y ago
If only that were a good line. What does it mean to put other species above humans? Does it mean human economic activity is more important than other species? Because that means that we should just let China kill all the rhinos for their horns. If not, that means some people will die, because economic activity is a matter of life or death for many.

ghshephard 11y ago

I read some interesting articles about Cecil/Lions in South Africa. While, in the west, there is a lot of support for Lions as "Majestic Creatures" - there are a lot of people, particularly those who live in the same habitat as the Lions, that are not such big fans, and are more than happy to see them wiped out to the point where they only exist on Wildlife Reserves/zoos. There are also lots of scenarios where we try and protect, at incredible costs to human welfare, protected species like the spotted owl, or gopherus agassizii, the California/Nevada tortoise that's endangered by Solar Panels in the Nevada Desert. While all of us (for any reasonable definition of all of us) are happy to see small pox, guinea worm, malaria, ebola, and now zika, wiped out in the name of advancing humanity, it's pretty clear there is a greater divide when it comes to lions, owls, and tortoises. And, before you say, "Well, the owl/tortoise only have financial impact" remember that $$$ can be easily translated into lives simply by dialing up safety standards/inspections/health care/etc... With incredible returns in the third world, and, even some low hanging fruit in the first world as well.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 11y ago
Along the same lines, advanced human civilizations have pretty much always wiped out large predators in the vicinity of their dwellings. If you look at where large predators such as lions and tigers are, they are in under developed areas where people in the past did not have the ability to eradicate them. Now that they are able to, the people are often lectured by outsiders who in no way face risks from these animals that they should not do what is best for themselves, but sacrifice their livelihoods and perhaps their lives for some greater environmental good. Many times the modern conservation movement smacks of leftover colonialism where white people in safe areas purged from large predators attempt to keep brown people from bettering their lives by doing the same things that the white people's ancestors did- eliminate threats to themselves and their livestock from wild large predators.

vinceguidry 11y ago

If only that were a good line. What does it mean to put other species above humans? Does it mean human economic activity is more important than other species? Because that means that we should just let China kill all the rhinos for their horns. If not, that means some people will die, because economic activity is a matter of life or death for many.