That's a quote from a member of a mailing list I'm on. This is the "best" argument liberals, extreme leftists, pro-abortion activists and the like come up with for why it is OK to murder an unborn child (and in a fit of self contradicting circular - nay moebius strip - logic, why it is not ok to "murder" animals for meat or medical testing): We are nothing more than our biology, our biology is no different than other animals, therefore we are no better than the animals. We kill animals all the time, so there must be nothing wrong in killing unborn babies.
This is the ultimate statement of moral relativity; relating man to animals, to say that there IS no validity to our morality, because we are determined by our biology; and thus no better than the animals (in fact we are worse because animals don't lie).
A man is a rat is a boy is a dog.
Are we then nothing more than the sum of our biology? Is our worth determined thusly? If you truly believe this is so, then you disgust me; but I am certain from their own statements and "phiosophies" that they do not. They are simply cherry picking this piece in a hypocritical and internally inconsistent attempt at self justification in something they truly know is wrong.
But I digress.
What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.Man is superior to all other life forms that we know of.
I make these judgments not in biology, nor in faith; but in realization. Only man can self actualize. Only man has true sentience on earth (though some other species are close). Only man can learn of far history in detail and speculate of the far future. Only man can reason above the base level. Only man can overcome his baser natures, even if imperfectly, to create art, music, philosophy, love...
No other test is necessary, MAN IS SUPERIOR to all other lifeforms that we know of.
I love my dog. He is greatly intelligent; in fact he is most likely more intelligent than many profoundly retarded humans. He is kinder, gentler, more efficient, less deceitful, less "imperfect" than man.
Does this make him superior to us?
Man delighted Hamlet not, for he was deceitful, and treacherous and imperfect; but does that make man inferior to the animals?
Of course not; and if you believe it does, I invite you to live in the jungle, naked, and without a knife or gun. You will see then what the beasts are; and how man differs from them.
Man has inherent value, over and above biology; BECAUSE WE ALONE AMONG ANIMALS ARE SUPERIOR TO OUR BIOLOGY. The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. The spark of life, that sentience which indeed and so very clearly lifts us above the other beasts of the jungle is what gives us our worth. The most despicable human being is worth more than a million fish, or cows, or rats, or bats; BECAUSE HE IS A MAN.
Dismissing a human life as mere biology; be it a full grown man, or "merely" an unborn child; is loathsome. By doing so you bring yourself back down to the level of beasts, who can understand no more than food, fear, and fucking.
