Seals and women do not need to be equal for the argument to hold. The question is whether or not intentional (or even unintentional!) suffering should be inflicted upon sentient creatures. There are no physiological or neurological grounds upon which to distinguish between the pain and suffering a human feels from that of an vertebrate in a comparable situation. Likewise, there are no grounds upon which the life of a seal is less important to that seal than the life of a human is to that human. This has nothing to do with equality at all. The life of someone with Down's is important to that person - we still don't let them drive; i.e., we legitimately treat them as less equal in many respects.
And, by the way, as soon as you start saying that the suffering of the seal is justified in order to allow the survival of a human, you've opened yourself to all sorts of absurdities.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 02:53 am (UTC)And, by the way, as soon as you start saying that the suffering of the seal is justified in order to allow the survival of a human, you've opened yourself to all sorts of absurdities.