Arguments Against Speciesism

Speciesism. This is something the majority of humans do on a daily basis without realizing. According to the dictionary, speciesism can be defined as “discrimination in favor of one species, usually the human species, over another, especially in the exploitation or mistreatment of animals by humans.” Many people view animals as a food resource, entertainment and property; something they are not. Humans should treat animals with more respect and realize their value as individual sentient creatures. We as humans should also speak up for those who cannot. The Animal Legal Defense has sponsored a petition that states the following: “Deprived of legal protection, animals are defenseless against exploitation and abuse by humans. Through the animal Bill of Rights, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is working to show congress a groundswell of support for legislation that protects animals and recognizes that like all sentient beings, animals are entitled to basic legal rights in our society.” Society has always grown and changed to become more modernized; this Animal Bill of …show more content…
Pigs are very intelligent creatures; the fourth on the list of the worlds smartest animals. Pigs display intelligence far beyond 3 year old children.These animals also feel emotions as well, studies on pigs social behavior at Purdue University for example, have found to crave attention and are easily depressed if isolated and denied playtime with each other. (Rifkin 3) Pigs display enjoyment towards things such as playing with others, basking in the sun and exploring. Pigs also have a very keen sense of smell and are used to find truffles that are up to three feet underground. Inside of these factory farms the sows are cramped into tiny dirty gestation pens. These pens measure up to merely 7 feet long and 2 feet wide. The sows are often just used for breeding purposes and their piglets are separated from them about 10 days after giving