Speciesism
I would like to respond to an article "Becoming Human" by Dave Riley in GLW #147. The aspect that concerns me here is Riley's attempt to justify his own speciesist attitudes. Speciesism is the idea that humans are inherently superior to non-human animals.
Riley refers to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Peter Singer, a philosopher instrumental in founding the animal liberation movement, uses Darwin's theories in a very different context. In Animal Liberation (2nd ed.) Singer explains that Darwin set off an "intellectual revolution" in the understanding of the relationship between human and non-human animals. Darwin's theory, supported by scientific evidence, held that not only are humans descended from other animals, but there are few great differences between the two. Similarities extend to the ability to feel pain, senses, emotions, faculties such as love, memory, attention, curiosity, imitation, reason, even morals.
With these common characteristics in mind, what are Riley's justifications for speciesism? They seem to rest on unstable ground. Riley paraphrases Engels' arguments. He says humans are "both of nature and other than nature", without defining the concept of nature. Why? Perhaps because they walk upright!
Riley's other justifications seem equally illogical. He states that all our activity is learned. This can easily be refuted. A newborn human baby's instinct to cry and to suckle is no more learned than a calf's instinct to stand. Why does Riley find "bird nature" so easy to define? Surely the difference between the behaviour and anatomy of an emu and a duck is also "immense"? Riley's statements on language are equally confusing. Human babies can learn different languages if they are exposed to them in infancy. Non-human animals cooperate socially, bees for example, and use tools, like gorillas.
Singer encapsulates the implication of Darwin's theories. He says "the old reasons for assuming a vast gulf between 'man' and 'brute' no longer stand up" but to accept this you have to accept that we have no right to submit non-human animals to suffering for the mere benefit of our palates. Riley clutches at straws in a desperate attempt to defy the logical conclusion that speciesism is inhumane. In practice, speciesists cause non-human animals to suffer for unnecessary and dubious human gains, such as "beauty" and the taste of flesh.
Laura Bahnisch
Adelaide
[Edited for length.]
Human nature
Dave Riley ("Becoming Human: A User's Guide", GLW #147) is right that an understanding of human nature is crucial to achieve the aims of socialism. Such an understanding is at last possible, as Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith explains in his book Beyond the Human Condition.
It is not "the absence of a fixed instinctual disposition" that has forced us to "create (our) own nature", but the need to exercise the fully developed intellect which is unique to our species. By experimenting with the autonomous action this trait allowed, in fact demanded, we tragically came into conflict with our instinctive self which couldn't understand why such apparent disobedience was necessary. Thus began the human condition, the internal conflict which gave us our dark side.
Since the human condition is the root cause of greed, aggression, selfishness, environmental exploitation, and the conflict between men and women, an understanding of it is crucial to achieving the basic aims of the socialist, environmentalist and feminist movements.
To think that simply changing the structure of society, without addressing the internal problem of our wounded psyche, will solve all of our problems, as Riley implies, is wishful thinking. The New Agers are right when they say that we have a "core of goodness", in fact our deeply repressed instinctive self, but their renunciation of reality in favour of an ideal world as yet uncreated makes them even more useless than socialists when it comes to actually solving the problems of society.
Facing up to our wounded psyche, what Griffith calls our "state of exhaustion" is not easy, but with the understanding of our true goodness that his explanation provides it is possible. With the understanding of ourselves and others that results socialism, environmentalism and feminism can realise their true potentials.
David Munn
South Brighton
Valid research
As Medical Research Week descends upon us we will yet again be bombarded with calls for donations and in return we will be offered promises of the potential benefits of increased "investment" in medical research. But behind this facade of "better health" and the "greater good" lurks an insidious evil, vivisection — animal experimentation.
Vivisection stands as a testimony not only to man's barbarity but worse, his cunning deceit. Apart from being cruelly indefensible, vivisection kills and maims countless numbers of people.
Results from experiments on animals cannot be extrapolated to humans with any degree of safety. Animals are different from humans genetically, histologically, anatomically, physiologically, emotionally, psychologically, sexually and socially and drug reaction differs, not only from humans, but between species of non-human animals. Given this fundamental law of nature, researchers can "prove" just about anything if they choose the appropriate species or sub species.
Behind vivisection also stands the unholy alliance of the medical profession and the drug industry whose callous self-interest and hunger for profits sees poisonous and toxic products palmed off on an otherwise unsuspecting public. Animal experiments which enable these products to be marketed for humans are convenient and cheap.
As voices in the wilderness speak out and unite against vivisection, we are hounded down, persecuted and incorrectly branded anti-science and told we care more about animals than humans. Just as Christopher Columbus continued his pursuit to prove the world round despite contrary option I, and countless, and increasing numbers of others, will continue to denounce vivisection, if for no other reason than we are right.
Dianne Warren
Melbourne
[Edited for length.]