# Do you think a human life is more valuable than any other animals? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009 "2008-10-28T23:09:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/41 "2008-10-29T22:12:22Z")
Very simplistic, but which would be worse for you, if you remained: all of the other people on earth disappearing or all of the animals disappearing (for this scenario, neither would affect anything biologically, chemically, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Cream\_Conquest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@Ice\_Cream\_Conquest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Cream_Conquest)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/42 "2008-10-30T00:20:41Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Osama bin Laden or a puppy? Oh, I’m definitely saving Osama bin Laden. I can turn him in for $50 million! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/43 "2008-10-30T19:25:04Z")
I am not against the killing of dangerous or delicious animals. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/44 "2008-10-30T23:04:39Z")
> [@j666](#): > > I was referring to my son’s life, and my nephew’s and niece’s, and all of our children’s. > > That dog has saved human lives, of many families and nationalities, in a climate to which he is completely unsuited, with no probable reward if he suffers an injury than death. > > I wasn’t being ironic; I’d hesitate before I sacrificed him. Sorry, I was referring to Cheney as being reptilian. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/45 "2008-10-30T23:05:51Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Very simplistic, but which would be worse for you, if you remained: all of the other people on earth disappearing or all of the animals disappearing (for this scenario, neither would affect anything biologically, chemically, etc.)? The humans disappearing would be worse. ---
**Author:** ![frankzafka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@frankzafka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frankzafka)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/46 "2008-10-30T23:54:12Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > There are 6 and a half billion humans on the planet - I value the animals on the planet far more than the humans. It is the ultimate expression of our human hubris that we consider ourselves the most important organisms on the planet, to the point of extincting so many other species. We should be ashamed of ourselves, not putting ourselves on pedestals. :rolleyes::rolleyes:If you feel you’re such a burden on the ecosystem and all… These sort of posts are really beyond on the pale. Eco-guilt.:rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/47 "2008-10-31T06:14:36Z")
The OP asked for opinions, and I gave mine. You don’t have to like it. I don’t like people’s opinions that humans are above animals. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/48 "2008-10-31T07:38:58Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/49 "2008-10-31T07:56:52Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > There are 6 and a half billion humans on the planet - I value the animals on the planet far more than the humans. If Jigsaw captured you and made you choose to either kill an animal or a person, you would choose the person? What do you mean that you value animals more than people? I dunno.. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, but I just can’t wrap my mind around such a mindset. I guess I take the other extreme. I’m sure I could find an exception if I thought hard enough, but in general any human life for me is more valuable than any animal life. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/50 "2008-10-31T08:15:27Z")
Re: the OP’s question, I do, in many ways, value a human life more than any other animal’s. There was a time when I would have liked to say differently, but it would’ve been a lie. One clear example: I’m not exactly itching to shut down the world’s slaughterhouses, and I definitely don’t think of them as the sites of some great animal Holocaust, yet if I knew something similar was happening with humans, I’d be aghast; I’d hopefully fight passionately for their eradication, and definitely bemoan the wicked, wicked world that brought them into existence. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/51 "2008-10-31T11:20:12Z")
Value is a choice or a determination. Nothing actually _has_ any intrinsic value. That’s only a linguistic shortcut for saying that someone values something to a certain degree. And of course, how much people value animals depends on the people. I’d say the majority of people value humans more than animals, and certain animals such as horses, dogs, and cats more than animals that they eat or animals that they dislike (insects! bats!) or animals that they don’t pay attention to (bacteria). There are some people (Jainists?) that value all life somewhat equally and try not to step on bugs. And some people that value animals more than humans (extreme animal rights activists). I’m mostly in the first group. I’ve flirted with vegetarianism and still am weighted towards it, but I eat meat too, although I prefer organic/free range. Sometimes I’ll shoo a bug out of the house rather than kill it. Spiders however are my arch enemy and existing in my house is a capital offense. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/52 "2008-10-31T12:30:33Z")
Random human vs random animal, human stays. After that, circumstances vary. I would drown a thousand puppies with my bare hands to save my child. But I think I would save a fern over a hardcore criminal. In the doggie hostage situation described above, there is no excuse to shoot the man to save the dog, not with the little info provided. ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/53 "2008-10-31T14:24:27Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Random human vs random animal, human stays. > > After that, circumstances vary. I would drown a thousand puppies with my bare hands to save my child. But I think I would save a fern over a hardcore criminal. > > In the doggie hostage situation described above, there is no excuse to shoot the man to save the dog, not with the little info provided. Your saying that its not fair to shoot a man who killed a puppy for fun? ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/54 "2008-10-31T16:41:57Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > Your saying that its not fair to shoot a man who killed a puppy for fun? I am saying that it is not fair to shoot someone holding a dog hostage without knowing what else is going on. I am seeing a lot more nuttiness than evil in this guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/55 "2008-10-31T18:44:36Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > If Jigsaw captured you and made you choose to either kill an animal or a person, you would choose the person? What do you mean that you value animals more than people? I dunno.. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, but I just can’t wrap my mind around such a mindset.\ Suffice to say I’m not an animal rights activist or a vegetarian or Jainist - I just think it’s the height of human ego to put ourselves above the earth we live on and all the creatures on it instead of considering ourselves part of the earth and her living organisms. Since we’re so smart and self-aware and stuff we should be making it our business to look after everything instead of wrecking it. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/56 "2008-10-31T19:07:48Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Suffice to say I’m not an animal rights activist or a vegetarian or Jainist - I just think it’s the height of human ego to put ourselves above the earth we live on and all the creatures on it instead of considering ourselves part of the earth and her living organisms. Since we’re so smart and self-aware and stuff we should be making it our business to look after everything instead of wrecking it. Ah, indeed, this I can totally agree with. We should be stewards of the earth, not consumers. ---
**Author:** ![Emergency911](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@Emergency911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emergency911)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/57 "2008-10-31T19:15:30Z")
As a part time firefighter and a full time 911 dispatcher, I have done my fair share of saving people and animals, (pets, farm animals and wild life, most of the animals were on the FD side of the job). Whether its right or wrong, I do value a human’s life over an animal’s life. If I were in the position that I had to choose from rescuing a person or an animal, I would choose the person everytime, with no thought to who they are. At the same time, I was once a pet CPR/First Aid Instructor, and am currently a proud owner of two Labs, that I would probably risk my own neck to save if it came to that. I am also an avid hunter and have no issues shooting an animal for food, but not just for the trophy. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/58 "2008-10-31T19:21:28Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > I believe it is permissible to take an animal’s life in any circumstance as long as it is done humanely, and as long as you have the legal right to do so. I do believe in laws against animal cruelty. It isn’t because I believe in animal rights, but rather because I think one’s character is determined by the way they treat creatures that can feel and express pain. Someone who takes pleasure in animal cruelty should enter the criminal justice system as early as possible. > > —snip Which side of the criminal justice system? Cop or criminal? ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/59 "2008-10-31T19:41:27Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Suffice to say I’m not an animal rights activist or a vegetarian or Jainist - I just think it’s the height of human ego to put ourselves above the earth we live on and all the creatures on it instead of considering ourselves part of the earth and her living organisms. Since we’re so smart and self-aware and stuff we should be making it our business to look after everything instead of wrecking it. This. I value individual human life (mine, my family’s) more than I value other life period. But I don’t consider humans to be outside the natural world or better than other animals as a whole. As to which would be better for me…all the humans disappearing or all the other animals…would y’all go away already! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009/60 "2008-11-01T13:57:44Z")
> [@RoOsh](#): > > Sir, I believe he was talking about the President (I hope, because reptile for dog makes no sense, unless he’s focusing solely on the smell and primitive brain aspects). Either way, one of us will now be whooshed when we get an answer. > Let’s hope it’s you and not me. Madam, yes, I understood; my point was that I would save my son’s dog (those dogs are getting lots of press these days, too), because the dog saves human lives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-a-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-any-other-animals/470009.md?page=2)