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Essay On Human Equality

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When I think about the concept of human equality at first I would say all humans are created equal. I think I have this idea because it is what I have always heard. However, after reading chapter two of Practical Ethics by Peter Singer I have realized that my understanding of equality has been misconstrued. According to Singer, “whatever test we choose, it simply is not true that all humans are equal” (Singer 2011, 17). To say that every person is equal doesn’t account for the obvious differences among everyone. There are simple differences too such as intelligence, creativity, and strength. There are so many differences it is almost contradictory to say that all humans are equal.
Singer makes a claim that “humans differ as individuals, …show more content…

Singer says, “speciesists give greater weight to the interests of members of their own species when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of other species” (Singer 2011, 51). This is referring to the comparison of a human’s pain is often seen as worse compared to an animal. Such as the pain if a person needs a heart transplant verses a beagle dying in a lab due to chemical testing for laundry soap. I know non-human animals have interests because I can see this with my dog. She can feel pain because she yelps if I accidently step on her tail. I know she also has interests and what she likes to eat and where she likes to sleep. He also mentions that the suffering from pain from different species is not the same (Singer 2011, 51). For example, it takes more to inflict pain on a steer verses a baby. If you are trying to move a steer you might slap it on the back but it won’t feel pain because it has thick skin and muscle. On the other hand, if you slapped a baby with the same force you would certainly inflict more pain to the baby than the steer. Another point Singer brings up is the fact that animals don’t have the ability to suffer in the way that humans do. Animals are not able to comprehend anticipation and dread that an unpleasant event might stir

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