You make a good point about humans being "higher" creatures. I do however ascribe significantly higher value to human life than I do to any other life. And although I agree that ethical lines should not be crossed, I do believe that because I ascribe a higher value to human life, animal testing is justified.
If my house was on fire, the four humans take precendence over the four cats...and the dog. And the fish... the last forrest fire that had us evacuate had my little aquatic friends sadly abandoned for eleven days.
The bigger question that you raise is why do I ascribe a higher value to human life than to my cat, his fleas, or the mites on the fleas. I think that is the major question... I don't give any other animal equal consideration with humans... people matter more than animals to me, and I can actually get myself upset over the billions that we spend pampering our beloved pets while humans suffer in various places. Why are people more special then pets, livestock, mammals, birds, eukaryotes, or bacterium... I can't think of a good answer to that at this moment... but give me time.
If my house was on fire, the four humans take precendence over the four cats...and the dog. And the fish... the last forrest fire that had us evacuate had my little aquatic friends sadly abandoned for eleven days.
The bigger question that you raise is why do I ascribe a higher value to human life than to my cat, his fleas, or the mites on the fleas. I think that is the major question... I don't give any other animal equal consideration with humans... people matter more than animals to me, and I can actually get myself upset over the billions that we spend pampering our beloved pets while humans suffer in various places. Why are people more special then pets, livestock, mammals, birds, eukaryotes, or bacterium... I can't think of a good answer to that at this moment... but give me time.