Evaluating the Value of Animals and Humans

Received opinion attributes greater value to the lives of humans than to the lives of (nonhuman) animals. Arguably, this conviction allows the continuation of the institutions of factory farming, hunting, and animal experimentation. After all, if we believe that the value of animal lives is at least equal to the value of human lives, we would presumably be quick to renounce and abolish these activities. My aim is to show that we have no good reason to sustain our common belief in the hierarchy of value concerning animal lives.