Greizer85
Emperor
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2009
- Messages
- 1,210
I am vastly more intelligent than a cockroach, and my feelings are much more advanced. A cockroach is not even aware of its own existence, so it won't matter to it if I kill it (painlessly, if they feel pain; I'm not sure). It has no values in the same sense that humans do.You think you are of higher value, yes? And why? Because you are human, crown of creation, the image and likeness of God? Or maybe because your parents said you you are the most important in the world? Or just because you are bigger? And of higher value for whom, for a cockroach?
It is in the blood of every species on Earth to look after itself first. Us humans show unique restraint because of our empathy and intelligence. Any other animal who doesn't have significant natural enemies will eat its environment clean, until its population drops off because of overfeeding. Us humans have national parks, fishing quotas and the like. So I'd argue we're actually more 'balanced' than other animals, if ultimately for our own gain (we won't survive without a viable environment). Granted that until recent times we've been pretty much a cancer on the planet, and there's still plenty to do. At least we're trying.
Edit: If you are saying that all moral values are ultimately arbitrary, then I agree with you. However, why are created values not worth pursuing? Your system is nihilism in disguise, in that nothing is worth anything if everything is of the same worth. And if you are saying that everything is sacred (=absolute highest value), then how can we eat animals or plants to sustain ourselves? Isn't that upsetting the "sacred balance" too?
I kill insects without mercy, since they are non-selfaware and scare and/or annoy me, and killing them won't threaten them with extinction. Not sure what I'd do to a robber; I'd probably piss myself and say "please don't kill me!" and give him my credit card number.If I see an insect in my house, I try to throw it out of the window first without killing it. The same would be with human if he tries to rob my house.

@El_Mac: Are you living with a bowl of rice and water a day, +some vitamin pills, in an empty flat? Then what is this selfish murder of people? And what are you doing posting here instead of doing volunteer work?