The Proposition That Humans Have Mental Characteristics

We Proclaim Human Intelligence To Be Morally Valuable Per Se Because We Are Human. If We Were Birds, We Would Proclaim The Ability To Fly As Morally Valuable Per Se. If We Were Fish, We Would Proclaim The Ability To Live Underwater As Morally Valuable Per Se. But Apart From Our Obviously Self-interested Proclamations, There Is Nothing Morally Valuable Per Se About Human Intelligence.

To Say That A Being Who Is Sentient Has No Interest In Continuing To Live Is Like Saying That A Being With Eyes Has No Interest In Continuing To See. Death—however “humane”—is A Harm For Humans And Nonhumans Alike.

We Cannot Justify Treating Any Sentient Nonhuman As Our Property, As A Resource, As A Thing That We An Use And Kill For Our Purposes.

We Should Stop Bringing More Domestic Animals Into Existence.

I Certainly Believe That We Have A Moral Obligation To Care For The Dogs, Cats, And Other Nonhumans Whose Existence We Have Caused Or Facilitated As Part Of The Institution Of 'pet' Ownership. But I Maintain That We Ought To Abolish The Institution And Stop Causing Or Facilitating The Existence Of More 'companion' Animals.