Serious Discussions  »   Should People That Kill Animals

I'm not some PETA nut, I love animals and would never dream of harming a dog much like I would never harm a person less I felt threatned. But was concerns me is when you see storys in the news when say a teenagers is bored and decides to torture and kill a dog and people say its just a dog? It's seems that because you can buy a dog for less than 100 and it isn't seem so serious that it is seemed less serious, I belive that all life is precious and should be treated so... if you kill a cat for no reason but your sick pleasure isn't it fair you are put to to death for taking a life and breaking natural law? Not killing for food or for fear of your own saftey. I'm not religous I'm an atheist... what do you guys think?

I really have no idea what would be an appropriate punishment for this. I'd say pay a very high fine and/or do community-service. People like money more than life so maybe they'll think twice.

An animal life is not comparable to a human life. Sure, it's terrible when someone kills an animal simply for enjoyment, but to take their life for it is a pretty harsh punishment. People like that belong either in jail, or in a mental hospital, because they likely have some emotional disorder that was never treated. Either way, people kill things like bugs all the time, and no one cares about that. Why is it so much worse to kill an animal than a bug? Is it because animals are cute and fuzzy and bugs are not?

Exactly, not even humans should be put to death, let alone people who kill animals. Now, I'm not being cruel but the human life is more important. I'm sure you've eaten meat at one point in your life and if you haven't you've killed a rat, a fly, a mosquito, some type of animal. By your reasoning, you'd be put to death for that.

An animal life is not comparable to a human life. Sure, it's terrible when someone kills an animal simply for enjoyment, but to take their life for it is a pretty harsh punishment. People like that belong either in jail, or in a mental hospital, because they likely have some emotional disorder that was never treated. Either way, people kill things like bugs all the time, and no one cares about that. Why is it so much worse to kill an animal than a bug? Is it because animals are cute and fuzzy and bugs are not? Exactly, not even humans should be put to death, let alone people who kill animals. Now, I'm not being cruel but the human life is more important. I'm sure you've eaten meat at one point in your life and if you haven't you've killed a rat, a fly, a mosquito, some type of animal. By your reasoning, you'd be put to death for that.

Yes I have, because they kept me awake not because I wanted to. My point is killing an animal for no reason is sadistic behaviour and often turns to humans.

People are animals. The problem with the 'humans' are superior argument is that it often is supported by unproven religious doctrines about the existence of a soul or is based upon the capabilities of a human being. It's a legal and ethical nightmare to imagine a legal system that made any distinction between people based upon their actions / personality or capabilities but perhaps there should be such a distinction made.

Imagine a person who is born without certain parts of their brain and they are incapable of ANY thoughts whatsoever - these people are born occasionally but they are usually allowed to die near birth. In what way - apart from sharing some genes with us - is that 'person' more valuable than a chimp or dog?

And imagine that there are advanced aliens who come to Earth one day. They are far more intelligent than us. They decide that since we as a species eat other species that closely related to us then we are untrustworthy and kill us all as being a threat to other intelligent life forms. Would their reaction be unreasonable? Why?