At Skeptic Reading Room, South Korean philosopher and animal rights activist Seong-Han Kim offers some thoughts. He starts out with the observation that South Korea recently banned the consumption of dogs as a food.

The idea is not new. It’s been illegal in the United States to sell dogs or cats as food since 2018. China also bans the practice.

But trying to explain why it is wrong — or why cruelty to animals is wrong — based on animal rights concepts quickly runs into pitfalls. Here is one:

Whatever the reason, we tend to believe that humans are fundamentally different from other animals, and that this difference justifies our dominion over them. Human rationality is often used to highlight the distinction between people and animals, with particular focus on intelligence or capacity for moral reasoning as the specific differences that demonstrate human superiority. Even conceding these differences, do they justify the various forms of abuse perpetrated against animals for consumption or experimentation? “November 15, 2024”

We tend to believe that because it is true and there is abundant evidence for its truth. Humans argue about animal rights. Animals do not argue about either animal rights or human rights.

Humans care if animals are at risk of extinction. Animals do not care if either humans or animals are at risk of extinction.

The ability to think about abstract ideas and to consider moral issues like cruelty to animals (or humans) sets us apart. But it also means something else: Animal welfare cannot be based on any concept that assumes that animals have rights similar to human rights because human rights are based on assertions about reason and morals.

He closes,

When contemplating this issue, we must not base our judgments on intuition, personal preference, or habit, but rather on reason—at least if we aim to avoid logical errors and strive to maintain logical consistency. This is important not only when discussing animal rights, but also if we hope to lead a morally sound life. “November 15, 2024”

If reason is the key to the situation then we must accept that we are different. But why is that so hard to understand?