New book argues humans aren't exceptional, equal to animals
In a recent book UC Berkeley Professor Brent Mishler, along with a number of other contributors, argue that 'speciesism' is a threat to our ecosystem.
'Why do we in the West think that human beings are special?' asks one contributor. 'Since every species is special... what is so special about Homo Sapiens that the needs of humans supplant the needs of all other species?'
In a recent book titled “Speciesism in Biology and Culture: How Human Exceptionalism is Pushing Planetary Boundaries” UC Berkeley Professor Brent Mishler, along with a number of other contributors, argue that “speciesism” is a threat to our ecosystem.
Professor Mishler co-edited the book, a collection of essays on speciesism, along with former UC Berkeley teaching faculty Brian Swartz.
Berkeley News defines speciesism as “the false belief that... some species are superior to others.” So-called “human exceptionalism,” then, is speciesism as applied to human beings in particular.
The term “speciesism” was popularized by philosopher Peter Singer in his influential 1975 book “Animal Liberation.”
[RELATED: Animals are victims of ‘human supremacy,’ growing student organization claims]
“Speciesism... leads to behavior that challenges our future on this planet,” Mishler and Swartz assert, proceeding to argue that “[s]peciesism is to species as racism is to race... the problem with speciesism and racism is that they are both scientifically baseless.”
“Why do we in the West think that human beings are special?” asks philosopher John S. Wilkins in his contributing chapter. “Since every species is special... what is so special about Homo Sapiens that the needs of humans supplant the needs of all other species?”
Wilkins proceeds to argue that the real reasons for believing humans have a special moral status are not scientific, but rather theological and socio-economic.
”[H]uman exceptionalism results from modern interpretations of the biblical narratives, economic motives, and sociocultural accidents,” he writes.
In the book, Mishler and Swartz go as far as to argue that the very concepts of species and taxonomic ranking, concepts central to the science of biology from the time of Linnaeus and Darwin to the present day, should be removed from biology courses.
“I think the ranks should be removed from teaching in schools (and sadly they are in the CA state science standards),” Mishler told Campus Reform. “It gives a false picture of comparability among groups at the same rank (including species).”
“Taxonomic ranks (e.g., species, genus, etc.) are human constructs that are neither real nor equivalent across groups,” Mishler and Swartz argue in the text.
Campus Reform asked Dr. Joe Francis, biology professor at The Master’s University in California, for his thoughts on speciesism and Mishler’s rejection of the classical notions of species and taxonomy.
”The concept of species... has always been held to be an important concept,” he began. “Entire branches of biology are built around and dependent on the idea that the term species and the study of species is relevant.”
He went on to discuss how, with the concept of species in place, there are compelling arguments for human exceptionalism.
“[T]here remains a gap verified by psychological studies between man and the rest of the animal world,” Francis told Campus Reform, referring to the conclusions of the 2013 book “The Gap: The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals” by psychologist Thomas Suddendorf.
”There exists an undeniable chasm between the capacities of humans and those of animals. Our minds have spawned civilizations and technologies that have changed the face of the Earth, whereas even our closest animal relatives sit unobtrusively in their dwindling habitats,” the book description for “The Gap” reads.
Campus Reform reached out to Brian Swartz, Thomas Suddendorf, and UC Berkeley for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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