Do humans suffer more than animals?

Page 1 of 2 [ 30 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Hollywood_Guy
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Nov 2017
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,283
Location: US

22 Jun 2020, 3:01 pm

Do we humans suffer more greater or about the same as animals do? I've been thinking that animals get physically hurt or even killed by humans or other animals, but humans have an entirely complex and unique way of pain as we are the more intelligent species. Humans can also lie, steal, cheat, etc. that animals aren't morally capable of.

The animal kingdom is amoral. Humans are the only species with an explicit morality. Humans also stigmatize or pressures those within their species that are considered to be "different" or not capable, like the +90% unborn children that have been tested to have Down Syndrome are pressured to be aborted.

Sometimes I get tempted to think that life would be a little better if we were animals. I envy them a little in some ways.



kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

22 Jun 2020, 3:05 pm

I don’t agree that animals are amoral beings. Especially as far as raising children is concerned.

Don’t forget: Homo sapiens is a member of the Animal Kingdom.

I wish non-human animals were treated better by humans.

Animals certainly suffer, like humans suffer.



HeroOfHyrule
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 May 2020
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,247

22 Jun 2020, 3:17 pm

I personally think we suffer about the same. While other animals probably don't react the same way to things as we do, they do steal food and stuff from each other. Various female primates will often offer sex for food and then cheat males out of sex. Other animals also do pressure each other to act a certain way to a degree, every population has their own "rules" and what the other animals are willing to deal with, and they will definitely put each other in their place. I honestly prefer the way humans deal with that somewhat than to getting bit and other things to get me to knock things off. lol

It honestly seems like most of the things humans do other animals already do to a degree and we've just been able to figure out different, sometimes comparably worse/more emotionally hurtful ways to handle it.



dragonsanddemons
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2011
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,659
Location: The Labyrinth of Leviathan

22 Jun 2020, 3:29 pm

Well, I expect that humans and animals feel the same amount of pain/discomfort, at least. When I accidentally step on my 75-pound dog’s foot, it probably hurts about the same as when he steps on mine (except that I don’t also have claws digging in). When my cat had pancreatitis, she didn’t budge from one spot in the middle of the hall all day because she felt so horrible and moving just made it worse. But then again, they may not attach emotion to it like we do, which may have an impact. But they have nerves just like ours, and their brains are just as able to detect pain, I would think - it’s something they’d need in the wild, so their brains would tell them, say, “My leg hurts, so I should stay off it for now,” which would lead to them giving the injured leg a rest and allow it to heal more quickly.

The reaction will also be different if it is not a social animal, which may make it look like the animal isn’t suffering as much whether it is or not. A social animal like a human has the instinct to make noise and attract attention from members of its species for assistance if injured, whereas a non-social animal’s instinct is to find somewhere to hide and make as little noise as possible to avoid drawing predators.

It just seems to me that the reaction to pain would be just as beneficial to a wild animal as it would be to a human, so it makes sense that nature would have selected for it in them, as well. (Can you tell I majored in biology? :wink: )


_________________
Yet in my new wildness and freedom I almost welcome the bitterness of alienage. For although nepenthe has calmed me, I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.
-H. P. Lovecraft, "The Outsider"


sorrowfairiewhisper
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Feb 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 837
Location: United Kingdom Dorset

22 Jun 2020, 3:30 pm

I would argue that in some ways, they suffer more. They have souls and feel pain like we do!

we take away young ones from there parents without a thought
have animals farmed and slaughtered, imprisoned
we put hooks in fish for fishing and then chuck them back out to sea, like they're disposable. All bloody and bruised.

So many examples.



Basil342
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 15 Jun 2020
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 67
Location: NYC

22 Jun 2020, 3:37 pm

I'd say (non-human) animals suffer just like humans do. Animals exhibit similar if not identical traits to humans. They show emotion such as love, fear, pain, loneliness, guilt, joy, anger, etc. There are several animals who exhibit deceitful behavior as well such as squirrels for example.

Morals are a social construct. They are just guidelines of what is or is not socially acceptable or in other words "right" and "wrong." What is "right" for one group isn't necessarily "right" for another and vice versa. Animals do exhibit the ability to tell between "right" and "wrong." So classifying them as "amoral" isn't really accurate.

Last but not least humans are "animals." We do have better communication and in some aspects higher intelligence but we are still mammals.



sorrowfairiewhisper
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Feb 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 837
Location: United Kingdom Dorset

22 Jun 2020, 3:49 pm

Animals kill for food or survival. Humans often kill over money, land , power and politics/religion.

Animals do feel pain. I’ve accidentally stepped on my dogs paw once and apologised, hugged her, gave her a chew. She forgave me. She’s nipped at my feet many times ouch



Borromeo
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 1 Jun 2019
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,440

22 Jun 2020, 6:24 pm

You may find C. S. Lewis' 'The Problem of Pain' enlightening. It covers both animal and human suffering.


_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 134 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 72 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)


Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

23 Jun 2020, 1:07 am

I hope animals don't suffer as much. I'm still traumatized by the movie "Cannibal Holocaust" when they cut open that little rodent while it's still alive, and it was screaming helplessly. That, I heard, was real footage. Each time I think about it I feel panicky, because I can't imagine how much pain that poor thing was going through. I mean, why didn't they just knock it out first before eating it? I wish there was a way I could deal with this. The rest of the movie was great (yes, it was acting), but killing that little rodent just really got to me. :cry:


_________________
Female


Sweetleaf
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 34,911
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

23 Jun 2020, 1:17 am

Hollywood_Guy wrote:
Do we humans suffer more greater or about the same as animals do? I've been thinking that animals get physically hurt or even killed by humans or other animals, but humans have an entirely complex and unique way of pain as we are the more intelligent species. Humans can also lie, steal, cheat, etc. that animals aren't morally capable of.

The animal kingdom is amoral. Humans are the only species with an explicit morality. Humans also stigmatize or pressures those within their species that are considered to be "different" or not capable, like the +90% unborn children that have been tested to have Down Syndrome are pressured to be aborted.

Sometimes I get tempted to think that life would be a little better if we were animals. I envy them a little in some ways.

It was a hard thing to think about when a cat from my moms was missing, I was picturing how sad and lonely the cat was and how he may have gotten into trouble....but well he got returned to my mom because some people brought him while he was living as a stray to the vet and the vet recognized him as my moms cat. So they called her to say they had him so he got returned home just fine...but I guess he had gotten a tapeworm so they had to treat him for that first. But apparently he was just being friendly as ever and they just were concerned cause he looked really thin(probably because of the tapeworm) so they brought him to the vet who recognized the cat and who it belonged to. I spent like two weeks trying to go back to the old house to see if I could find that cat around there and he never turned up those times but he still got found. That said all the time I was worrying he was probably just chilling and taking advantage of those people who were feeding him by being all cute and getting attention from them. So like from the cats perspective it was probably a bit of an adventure where in my perspective I was worried sick about that cat, but he was fine during that whole time he was getting pets from strangers and even being fed by them and just being the cute cat he is. He had no care in the world if anyone was worried about him, he was just out being a cat.


_________________
We won't go back.


Jakki
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2019
Gender: Female
Posts: 11,940
Location: Outter Quadrant

23 Jun 2020, 5:47 am

I do think that humans can be made to suffer more than animals, Based on human interactions with each other whereas it appears animals are able to appear to had some sympathies towards other living things .
There is a unique quality ,I think reserved for those with mean intent of humans to actually derive pleasure in inducing suffering in others of their own species . And. In some cases would cause induced suffering over long periods of time , to fuel whatever it is inside that drives this desire . hope am merely referring to those with A more ~ evil ~ based psyche ..... and am using that word evil quite loosely .
I do not think this characteristic exists in commonality with The animal kingdom .


_________________
Diagnosed hfa
Loves velcro,
Quote:
where ever you go ,there you are


kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

23 Jun 2020, 8:00 am

Humans certainly have more capacity to induce suffering in others than non-human animals.



Misslizard
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Jun 2012
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 20,481
Location: Aux Arcs

23 Jun 2020, 12:02 pm

We are more aware of the potential for future suffering.
We all suffer,one of the great truths.I pray that suffering will end for all beings.


_________________
I am the dust that dances in the light. - Rumi


BenderRodriguez
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Feb 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,343

23 Jun 2020, 12:54 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Humans certainly have more capacity to induce suffering in others than non-human animals.


For sure.

Some "types" of suffering seem specific to humans, but animals can also go through a great deal of it and in extreme conditions, they are even capable of committing suicide.

Animals are a lot less dramatic about it and often suffer in silence and solitude.


_________________
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Aldous Huxley


Redd_Kross
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Jun 2020
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,450
Location: Derby, UK

23 Jun 2020, 1:17 pm

All animals feel physical pain.

We're possibly unique in experiencing mental anguish due to self-awareness, though.

If you are a Christian, all that guilt and awareness of our own mortality was the punishment for the business with the apple.

Doesn't seem like a particularly appropriate level of punishment to me, TBH.



Hollywood_Guy
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Nov 2017
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,283
Location: US

23 Jun 2020, 2:51 pm

Also, humans are also the only mammals with the intelligence capacity to guide the decline or destruction of our own species collectively. Our intelligence and engineering at best is merely a double-edged sword.