Quote:
Victus wrote
Laws usually only apply to humans, and in fact, humans that meet a defacto standard of mental competence. Someone in a vegetative state has, for instance, fewer rights to self-determination than a typical person. Likewise animals, deviating even further from the standards for mental competence, aren't awarded protection under the law - they aren't nominally part of 'society', in so far as such a thing actually exists.
I think what Stern is asking is why animals should be counted as members of 'society' and likewise protected under the law.
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Very close, Victus. I am exercising critical thinking by questioning the very basis of any objection to cruelty. The question arose with respect to animal cruelty which made a fair starting point and I intended to broaden it to include people once we reached consensus on the non-human animal level.