A simple test
How can you tell if an attitude is speciesist, meaning unfair to someone because of their species? The author suggests questions anyone can ask themselves.
The test questions
Think about an attitude, for example, buying leather clothes. Would you still think this attitude is fair...
- if you didn't know the species of who would be harmed and who would benefit?
- if you didn't know your own species?
- if the victims were human, with a harm of the same size?
- if the roles were reversed, with animals benefiting and humans being harmed?
- if you had to take the harm to get the benefit?
- if you had to take the harm so that others could get the benefit?
If your answer changes just because the victims are a different species, the attitude is speciesist.
What the test shows
If we ask these questions honestly, the author thinks we'd reach three conclusions:
- animal exploitation would be seen as very unfair;
- we'd reject giving victims different weights because of species or intelligence;
- we'd also think it's unfair not to help animals suffering in the wild from hunger, thirst, disease, and disasters.
In short
- An attitude is speciesist if it only seems fair because the victims are a different species.
- Switching places with the victim is a good test.
- The test shows we need not only to stop harming animals but also to help them.