The Epidemic of Anthropodenial

I am separate from all other living beings on earth. I am a rational being far superior to others. I can do anything I want to the lesser beings on the planet.

Sounds horribly selfish, no? But that's how most humans on this planet think. Humans are special. We're not animals. This mindset is called anthropodenial, and it runs rampant throughout most of the world. We were discussing this today in class. Some of us 'buy' anthropodenial, and some of us don't. This usually depends on the degree to which we're involved in an organized religion. The Christian Bible is a textbook (literally) example of anthropodenial: man shall have dominion over all creatures of the earth. Therefore, we have the right to do essentially whatever pleases us to animals and the earth. There are more contemporary interpretations of this idea (see Matthew Scully's book Dominion) that claim that this "dominion" really means responsibility. Since we were granted higher reasoning and morality abilities, we have the responsibility to care for and not abuse these 'lesser' beings. Of course, the former idea is more comforting; we don't have to do anything or be responsible for any decision we make concerning animals or the environment. They are ours to do with as we please.

Of course, you can see how this extreme anthropodenial has led to environmental problems. Do we not routinely torture and slaughter animals for non-essential food, and cut down millions of trees for non-essential paper products, and burn billions of gallons of oil for non-essential plastic products? We do every single one of these things to, well, make money, but also because we believe we have the right to, because we want to, and because we can. We see both animals and the environment as lesser beings unworthy of our care.

I can understand feeling superior to trees and grass (I do not feel this way, to be clear), but how can anyone separate themselves so severely from animals? Gene Baur, the founder of Farm Sanctuary, in his book Farm Sanctuary, questions this while observing people looking at one of those "Body Worlds" exhibits of the anatomies of dead human beings. He heard comments about how "That one looks like steak, Mom!"If you'd prefer a visual, here's a short video of a scan of a human body from above starting at the top of the head. I'm sure you'll see a lot of things you recognize from your plates.

Not only do we barely differ from animals in anatomy, but also in mental functioning. A pig can reason at the level of a three-year-old child. A dog can reason at the level of a two-year-old child. Newsflash: your bacon was probably smarter than your dog. How about that?

Factory farming is just one of the products of anthropodenial. By the time that humankind figures out that we're not so special, it may be too late. We may have finally done the irreversible damage that will lead to our downfall as a species. Try thinking of yourself as just a spare rib, just a shoulder for someone to enjoy, just a flank steak to be grilled. Because really, that's all you are. If you keep that in mind, your views, diet, and negative impact on the earth just may change.