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Question Jun 19, 2019 at 02:17 PM
  #1
I am trying to remember the name for a particular phenomenon. I bet there's someone here who knows it!

It refers to how humans naturally deem members of their own species more valuable than members of other species. Thought to be an evolutionary survival mechanism. Does anyone know the term for that? I forgot it
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 08:35 PM
  #2
Like xenophobia? Chauvinism? I guess mine are more sociological.
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 09:01 PM
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No. Neither of those. Purely across species....so viewing a human life as more important than that of a dog or a shark etc. If it comes back to me, I'll add the term.

I had a chat one eve in the offline world about animals with two guys who were convinced that all animals lack intelligence. I was surprised because there's now a lot of research on some animals' problem-solving skills etc. I mentioned the example of orca whales (MRI of the brain indicated an extra branch on the limbic system compared to humans....their brain in that regard is actually more advanced than ours). They responded with: yeah but an orca couldn't build a theater. Anyway, I couldn't understand why they badly wanted to believe that humans are the only species with intelligence. Then I was reading about this phenomenon whereby humans typically view their species as more valuable and superior to all others. As in: while driving would you swerve to avoid hitting a baby or a puppy? Most humans will say they'll try to avoid hitting the baby because it seems more wrong to harm their own species. It's thought to be an evolutionary mechanism to continue one's species by placing greater value on its survival. @theoretical added another important piece to it but I will let them explain that if they like

Anyway, I can't remember the name of that phenomenon.

And of course I don't have the answers on this topic. Shark finning infuriates me and I love sharks. But I'm no longer a vegetarian (though I don't eat shark meat)....so what does that mean? Haha. These things could be argued multiple ways. Researchers are still debating about how lobsters are cooked...whether it's cruel. One country banned the practice because they believe it is cruel. While others argue that they don't actually register pain....they are simply moving away from heat in response to heat sensors. The explanation I read on that was very long and detailed....I couldn''t do it justice here. Me? Idk. I have eaten lobster but never cooked one. I have also not watched one being cooked live in the pot. I read a description, I don't think I could watch.

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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:13 PM
  #4
@SilverTrees

Anthropocentrism? Ha. I don't know if that's remotely what you're looking for, but perhaps...

It could also be a form of speciesism, which means that humans have more moral rights or have greater claim to moral rights than other animals do.
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:18 PM
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Originally Posted by skibum801 View Post
@SilverTrees

Anthropocentrism? Ha. I don't know if that's remotely what you're looking for, but perhaps...

It could also be a form of speciesism, which means that humans have more moral rights or have greater claim to moral rights than other animals do.
YES!!! @skibum801 Universal blessings on you! That was driving me nuts all day...I couldn't recall it for the life of me. Ha! Yes. Anthropocentrism.

Would you care to discuss it? Any thoughts? Are you a scholar of philosophy or a related topic?

I pointed out one of my own contradictions in the thread above. I think we all have them.
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:34 PM
  #6
@SilverTrees, yes I am a scholar of philosophy.

Yes, I believe that anthropocentrism is interesting to study. Generally speaking, I think humans will by default think they are superior to other animals. I don't know, perhaps sometimes I thought that in the past, additionally, because some elementary school teacher told me humans were at the top of the food chain or something like that. All jokes aside, broadly speaking, anthropocentrism might deny in certain cases that other animals have feeling and suffering, which is a philosophy I definitely cannot get behind. Or, the less extreme (and more palatable) view is that other animals' suffering matters less than that of human beings. Once again, it's a philosophy I cannot really get behind. I think once you introduce animals as moral agents, they ought to be treated morally on the same level as humans. Also, from a purely psychological perspective, I think it's interesting to view biases in the human consciousness, like how humans potentially could believe that animals cannot feel pain, or that they have a different capacity for pain than humans do.
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:49 PM
  #7
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Originally Posted by SilverTrees View Post
I am trying to remember the name for a particular phenomenon. I bet there's someone here who knows it!

It refers to how humans naturally deem members of their own species more valuable than members of other species. Thought to be an evolutionary survival mechanism. Does anyone know the term for that? I forgot it
777777 5 the
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:50 PM
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Originally Posted by skibum801 View Post
@SilverTrees, yes I am a scholar of philosophy.

Yes, I believe that anthropocentrism is interesting to study. Generally speaking, I think humans will by default think they are superior to other animals. I don't know, perhaps sometimes I thought that in the past, additionally, because some elementary school teacher told me humans were at the top of the food chain or something like that. All jokes aside, broadly speaking, anthropocentrism might deny in certain cases that other animals have feeling and suffering, which is a philosophy I definitely cannot get behind. Or, the less extreme (and more palatable) view is that other animals' suffering matters less than that of human beings. Once again, it's a philosophy I cannot really get behind. I think once you introduce animals as moral agents, they ought to be treated morally on the same level as humans. Also, from a purely psychological perspective, I think it's interesting to view biases in the human consciousness, like how humans potentially could believe that animals cannot feel pain, or that they have a different capacity for pain than humans do.
Very interesting points!

think it's interesting to view biases in the human consciousness, like how humans potentially could believe that animals cannot feel pain, or that they have a different capacity for pain than humans do.
Yes, we could argue that pain is pain is pain. But I think we are wired to perceive an infant's pain very differently from that of a cat or dog....the infant's pain will appear more alarming or disturbing to most. Humans are also a very weak species, very underdeveloped and dependent after birth compared to many animals.

Then there's euthanasia. Most people I've met find the notion abhorrent even if the human has zero quality of life, terrible pain, and a terminal illness. But most people see nothing wrong with euthanizing a very ill dog or cat. I doubt that the pet's pain bothers them more than a human's pain....I think they perhaps perceive the pet's life as less valuable than that of the terminally ill human so there's no "sanctity of life" argument against euthanizing pets....including beloved pets.

Also...I am wondering if you have studied this....most humans don't even agree that all humans are of equal value (never mind other species). Putting aside ridiculous arguments based on racism or xenophobia etc, most people I know think that a person's value is based on their actions....therefore they do not agree that prisoners have human rights. I've met so many people who say that pedophiles and killers are no longer human and therefore undeserving of human rights. Almost as though they are a different and "lesser" species. Sometimes that thinking makes me very sad but another part of my brain wants to understand where it comes from.
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:56 PM
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Yes, I believe that anthropocentrism is interesting to study. Generally speaking, I think humans will by default think they are superior to other animals. I don't know, perhaps sometimes I thought that in the past, additionally, because some elementary school teacher told me humans were at the top of the food chain or something like that.
So you wouldn't agree that it's a survival mechanism?

(the food chain thing is funny...thanks for that)
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Default Jun 19, 2019 at 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by nels13245 View Post
777777 5 the
I think your message got distorted. Want to try again?
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Default Jun 20, 2019 at 12:06 AM
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Are you a vegetarian Skibum?
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Default Jun 20, 2019 at 12:14 AM
  #12
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Originally Posted by SilverTrees View Post
YES!!! @skibum801 Universal blessings on you! That was driving me nuts all day...I couldn't recall it for the life of me. Ha! Yes. Anthropocentrism.

Would you care to discuss it? Any thoughts? Are you a scholar of philosophy or a related topic?

I pointed out one of my own contradictions in the thread above. I think we all have them.
XThe only thing that you are not fdf
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Default Jun 20, 2019 at 12:35 AM
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The only onfe xcxXThe only thing that you are not fdf
I don't understand this message @nels13245. Are you on your phone? Maybe a glitch?
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Default Jun 23, 2019 at 11:35 AM
  #14
Human beings needed to see animals as "less than" in that once humans became meat eaters in evolution it was a major game changer. However, what has been interesting also is how human beings also looked upon animals as god like too. For example, the indians placed certain animals as having certain powers and they were to be reveered and protected and respected, this has been the case in other cultures as well in human history.

This friend that repied to you about how Orcas are "less than" because they could never build a theater is showing you his lack of respect for all the things Orcas CAN do that he couldn't do himself. Orcas have evolved to survive the world they exist in and have senses human's don't have. They also communicate in their own language and form attachments to their young. Orcas mourn the loss of a young calf and have been seen having a hard time with the death of a young Orca baby often carrying that dead baby for days.

It's not about only considering value based on intelligence alone either. The true intelligence is being able to recognize THE VALUE in the bigger picture of how it all fits into an entire eco system. Human beings tend to need too much control, to think they are better than when while human beings have proven to be able to create so many things, they can also be the most destructive and selfish too.

When I happened to present an example about a bird I noticed that was tangled up in a long horse hair from a horse's tail that had been gathered and used to build a nest and how I wanted to help that bird? I saw the bigger picture and felt for that bird and was very motivated to help fee it. Part of the bigger picture was the time of year where all the birds were nesting and reproducing and when you observe it these birds actually work VERY HARD looking for a place to build a nest, searching the ground to find things to build their nests out of, some nests are just incredible too, ever see a barn swallow's nest? Then these birds look for a mate and then lay eggs in this nest they spent so much time building. Then they sit on those eggs patiently until they hatch. Once those eggs hatch the birds work extremely hard finding food to bring back to that nest of young. It amazes me just how hard they work and how constant they have to work hard for those young too. So, seeing that bird all tangled up and trying so hard flapping it's wings to try to free itself so it could carry out it's mission of feeding it's young and knowing how the young depend on that bird to live, YES, I am compelled to exert the effort to help free that bird because I respect how much effort it puts into surviving. I was also a mother doing the same for my own offspring.

Honestly, for being so intelligent, human beings can also be incredibly stupid too. Take how human beings could not come to agreements and form respect so they went to war killing thousands until one side or the other surrenders. How dumb is that and some of these wars were large numbers of men marching towards each other with their fashioned weapons savagely slaughtering each other for some kind of "control". I think to myself, perhaps it's just part of our design so we don't over populate depleting natural resources.

Birds keep the insect population down, it's a natural way of controlling the insect populations which is something human beings would definitely notice if there were no birds. The intelligence is often much more than than the human mind understands and sadly often fails to respect.

Last edited by Open Eyes; Jun 23, 2019 at 12:29 PM..
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