...A response to Mark Twain’s “The Lowest Animal” (1896) By: Thanusha Sritharan Is the human race cruel or just selfish? The human race is one of many distinct species in the world. Human beings share most of their traits and behaviors with other animals. The act of cruelty and violence to one another is one of the behaviors that humans differ from animals. In the essay “The Lowest Animal” (1896), Mark Twain claims that man can be cruel and wasteful in his lifetime. Although his statement does not imply to all humans, the moral sense enables us to do wrong. With the proof of news reports and media it is evident that man is cruel to animals, the society and to their household. When compared to people, dogs are known as a man’s best friend. Even though they are four-legged canines, dogs have a heart like gold. Dogs are also known for their ability to help people with visual impairments. They are very loyal and lovable to their owners and others. A study conducted by Mark Franz states that dogs happen to have a higher level of decency when compared to humans. In Toronto, a 32-year old woman, Alice Marcial, strangled her pet dog Jacob to death. This news article is very relevant to Mark Twain’s quote “Of all animals man is the one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it” (pg.238). Not only do humans find pleasure by inflicting pain on animals but they also engage in public killings as a source of entertainment. Many people in the world...
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...The Damned Human Race (Criticism) Reading this article of Mark Twain about the Damned Human Race, I was quite intrigued about how the writer speculated his own theory (about why humans should be in the lowest stage of the chain) although at some point, I find it precise. Excluding its positive side, he settled comparison between the cruelty of humans and the innocence of other wild animals. He used scientific method to conclude such. Based on his experiments, he proved that humans became more hesitant; that humans are more wild and raucous; and that humans are more likely chaotic than any other animals. Analytically citing, he conducted random experiments comparing the so-called lower animals to us humans. He used sarcasm to show that society is more backwards than of what most individual consider. He as well established the descent of humans from the lower animals. Opposing to this matter, I consider certain things proving that humans should not be in the bottommost of the chain. One thing I would like to render is that positive side of humans which denotes responsiveness towards animal (other) care. Twain have mentioned that humans are merely tolerating numbers of wild animals for unacceptable reasons, but the real thing is that humans are only being defensive for their own protection. In connection to this, other wild animals are as well, being defensive when it comes to their own safety. Lending skunks as an example, they too, when mistreated or bothered, would spray...
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...Animal Abuse Animal abuse laws have been around for years dating back towards the 1600s. Animal abuse is sometimes compared to child abuse because of how fragile they are. In many cases, animal abuse is so horrendous that the animal is left unrecognizable. Animal abuse falls under many different categories fur trade, animal testing, animal hoarding, and animals in captivity. As for the laws fur trade has one called the Fur Products Labeling Act, animal testing has Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and animals in captivity have the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) as well. Fur trading has been going on for centuries to make coats and they showed wealth and fortune. Although the ones who started it was the Indians they traded along the Mississippi river...
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...Mark Twain Synthesis Essay Throughout time we have seen the complete degradation of the human race. From our morals to the way we treat one another our society has become selfish and materialistic only caring for themselves and their own problems, never making a step to help a neighbor in need. Mark Twain believed that even though our society has a conception of being the superior race we are far from it; humans have revolutionized to become a race that is completely careless and cruel. Mark Twain doesn't agree with the Theory of Evolution, Darwin believed that by revolutionizing we were becoming a better version of ourselves each time while Twain objected by stating that instead of moving forward we were slowly becoming an ignorant version of our race. “Man is the cruel animal.” (Twain, The Lowest Animal) Twain believed that humans will kill their own race to get their point across and get what they want. We have seen such cruel behavior multiple times in history, whether its religion or a war, humanity’s solution to a problem is to fight always ending in an ocean full of despair and corruption. Mark Twain compared us to animals and saying that they are the superior race. He compared the English Earl to an anaconda and found that the anaconda only kills what it can eat and doesn't waste anything. "The fact stood proven that the difference between an earl and an anaconda is that the earl is cruel and the anaconda isn't." He watched the anaconda only kill one calf because that...
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...In the united states 10% of our disposable income goes to food. The question is why is the percentage so low? Why does the United States have the lowest percentage of disposable income spent on food compared to other countries? How does animal agricultural contribute to this? In 1960-2007 the disposable income on food fell from 18% to 10%. This drop occurred because prices of other consumer goods outpaced the price of food, incomes rose at a fast rate than food prices. The reason Americans percentage on money spent on disposable food is because Americans earn more income which gives them more money to spend. Another big thing is food production. People in the united states complain about the amount of money spent on groceries not knowing we are the country with the lowest percentage of disposable income. 90% of the u.s population produced their own food back then, today only 2% of the population does this. Animal agriculture has played a big part in keeping this percentage low. Starting with the development and the change in technology. Farmers now have the advantage of...
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...Throughout time we have seen the complete degradation of the human race. From our morals to the way we treat one another our society has become selfish and materialistic only caring for themselves and their own problems, never making a step to help a neighbor in need. Mark Twain believed that even though our society has a conception of being the superior race we are far from it; humans have revolutionized to become a race that is completely careless and cruel. Mark Twain doesn't agree with the Theory of Evolution, Darwin believed that by revolutionizing we were becoming a better version of ourselves each time while Twain objected by stating that instead of moving forward we were slowly becoming an ignorant version of our race. “Man is the cruel animal.” (Twain, The Lowest Animal) Twain believed that humans will kill their own race to get their point across and get what they want. We have seen such cruel behavior multiple times in history, whether its religion or a war, humanity’s solution to a problem is to fight always ending in an ocean full of despair and corruption. Mark Twain compared us to animals and saying that they are the superior race. He compared the English Earl to an anaconda and found that the anaconda only kills what it can eat and doesn't waste anything. "The fact stood proven that the difference between an earl and an anaconda is that the earl is cruel and the anaconda isn't." He watched the anaconda only kill one calf because that is all it could eat, compared...
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...Study of Attitude, Empathy, and Human Uniqueness of Emotion in Animals Abstract This correlational study was conducted to determine and explore the relationships between empathy, attitudes towards animals, and beliefs about human uniqueness of emotion. This was a quasi- experimental because we studied man versus women and also pet owners versus non-pet owners. We expected to find a positive correlation between the empathy and AAS score. While also exploring the relationships between the HUES and empathy or AAS score. We predicted that women would have higher empathy and AAS scores than men as well as pet owners having higher AAS scores than non- pet owners. This study was conducted in New York, where 60 voluntary participants completed surveys. The results of the study illustrated and provided a statistically significant positive correlation between scores on the E-Scale and the AAS and a significant negative correlation between scores on the E-Scale and HUES and well as between the AAS and the HUES. There was also a significant gender difference in AAS scores with women having more positive attitudes toward animals compared to men. However, there was no significant gender difference in HUES scores. Similarly, there were significant effects of pet ownership on both E-Scale scores and on AAS scores. Specifically, pet owners had higher levels of empathy and also had more positive attitudes toward animals compared to non-pet owners. There was no significant effect of pet ownership...
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...to Non-Human Life Randi A. Teel PHI208 Ethic and Moral Reasoning Instructor Galen Johnson June 23, 2014 \ Animals: Deserving of Utilitarianism? 1 Utilitarianism is best defined as given a choice between two acts, the one that creates greater happiness for the greatest number of people should be chosen. This should be applied to non-human beings as well. Animals are essential in our everyday lives. They provide companionship, nourishment for our bodies and can provide amazement to our eyes when seen in their natural habitat. They are important in human life. They deserve respect. We as the superior being should make decisions for non-humans based on the utilitarianism approach creating greater happiness or good for the greater numbers. Our decisions based on this approach when making choices where non-humans are concerned will be a beneficial choice for both humans and animals. So what do humans and animals have in common? René Descartes, for instance, regarded animals as simply “physical bodies that lacked minds or souls; thus, animals were similar to organic machines.” (Mosser, 2013) This type of thought is also coincides with Western and Christian thinking. That is, all is ranked from highest to lowest. God and Angels are the highest with humans, animals...
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...produces melatonin which affects sleep) and is also connected to the retina of the eye through a separate pathway. This highlights the indirect link between exogenous zeitgebers such as light and how melatonin production from the Pineal gland (endogenous pacemakers) works together with the SCN to maintain a rhythm. Light can also reach the brain via other means as Campbell et al demonstrated resetting the circadian rhythm through shining light on participant’s knee’s. This shows other secondary oscillators exist throughout the body maintaining circadian rhythms through the use of exogenous zeitgebers. Core body temperature is another circadian rhythm which sees its lowest point at 4:30am of 36 degrees’ c and highest at around 6pm with 38 degrees c. Hormone production also follows a circadian rhythm with cortisol at its lowest around midnight and peaking at 6am. Cortisol plays a role in making us alert and explains why if awaken at 4am we struggle to think clearly. Melatonin and growth hormone also have a...
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...studies, unfortunately, so finding unbiased scientific information can be challenging. Even with the vast improvements in technology, processed foods and the effects of it on human health remains a strongly debated topic. For the reader who wants to make the most informed decision, it becomes imperative to consider a broad dietary historical perspective of human diet-related health, as well as the most reliable sources of research conducted in recent centuries. The pathway to our current life-less dietary habits and our societies flawed impression of life-giving foods plays a great part in understanding why the messages we are fed on a daily basis, give a false sense of comfort related to food sources. Then once the reader has the why we have this problem the task becomes to search out the how to make necessary changes. Can you imagine only having access to food sources that were within walking distance of your home and only grew naturally in the countryside? Most of us would not last long if we couldn’t make a short trip to the grocery store when we are hungry, but early mankind did not have this luxury. Some who study the effects of diet on human health might consider it an obstacle to be overcome, as opposed to a luxury that aids Carden2 man’s general well-being. They might argue the human race was healthier when we were forced to survive on a diet free of processed foods, as in the...
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...for the soldiers that fought in World War I when he said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That is exactly what the soldiers did in Erich Maria Remarque’s novel and Lewis Milestones selfsame named movie, All Quiet on the Western Front. The brutalities of war not only destroyed these men physically, but mentally. These soldiers lost their sense of humanity and could not experience reality like they did before they went to war. When the author says, “We reach the zone where the front begins and become instant human animals.” (Remarque 56) he wants the readers to realize that the second the soldiers were on the front they lost all sense of humanity. They lived in conditions that were mucky, fetid, and infested with disease. The English Oxford Dictionary defines an animal as “A person without human attributes or civilizing influences, especially someone who is very cruel, violent, or repulsive.” The author chose the word animal because an animal does...
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...simplest environmental unit that can support life Answer: d 4) According to the case study in the Environmental Science textbook(“The Acorn Connection”), the incidence of lyme disease among humans increases in years when the gypsy moth population is low because: a) an abundant acorn crop draws deer into the woods b) during these years, small plants and seedlings grow particularly fast c) gypsy moth larvae are eaten by mice d) there are “bumper years” of lyme disease e) ticks like to feed on human blood Answer: a 5) The Environmental Science textbook outlines the relatively simple food chain that exists in hot springs such as in Yellowstone National Park, including the following organisms: (A) herbivorous flies (B) carnivorous flies (C) decomposers (D) photosynthetic bacteria What would be the correct order of these organisms from lowest trophic level to highest trophic level: a) C, A, B, D b) B, A, D, C c) D, A, B, C d) B, A, C, D e) C, D, A, B Answer: c 6) Which of the following is an example of three different species on three different trophic levels, listed from lowest level to highest: a) shrubs, trees, giraffes b) humans, cows, grass c) sharks, herbivorous fish, carnivorous fish d) moss, reindeer, wolves e) dirt, corn, humans Answer: d 7) The most basic processes in an ecosystem are: a) photosynthesis and respiration b) transport and storage of food c) trophic chains and storage of food d) flow of energy...
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...Many people believe that because they cook their meals at home in traditionally healthy ways, then they are completely safe from any negative health effects. They are not exposed to the disgusting and cruel acts that go on in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, where animals are held before being packaged off to consumers. CAFOs contain thousands of animals. They are tended to in order to produce food for humans. Ninety-nine percent of farmed animals in the United States are raised in factories. The income of farm owners is based on how much product is made at the lowest cost possible. Due to this, farmers inject cattle with large amounts of growth hormones. Over eighty percent of cows are given the genetically engineered growth hormone rBGH to elevate milk production. People who stay cautious with flaws in the industrial food system claim to purchase “organic food,” but organic foods also have harmful chemicals in them. These chemicals naturally occur on farms, so even though they are harmful, the food on which they are on, is still considered organic. They are also held on the same land as CAFOs. The only way to make sure the food you are eating is all natural and healthy, is if you maintain your own garden and research your pesticides. We must take it into our own hands to figure out what dangerous affects our food can have on us. No matter what we buy, we will never understand what we are eating if we are educated by the very people who are giving us foods filled...
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...Explain and evaluate the impact of the ways in which agriculture has increased net productivity. Agricultural ecosystems are made up of largely domesticated animals and plants to be used as food for mankind. There are considerable losses of energy at each trophic level of a food chain and since humans are often at the third or fourth trophic level, the energy we receive is only a small proportion available from the sun at the start of the food chain. Agriculture tries to ensure that as much of the available energy from the sun is transferred to human by increasing the productivity of a food chain. Productivity is defined as: the rate at which something is produced e.g. Plants are called producers because they produce chemical energy. The rate at which plants assimilate this chemical energy is called gross productivity. Gross productivity is measured for a given area during a given period of time, usually in kJm-2 year-1. Typically around 20% of this chemical energy is used by the plant for respiration. The remainder is known as net productivity which is available to the primary consumer in the food chain Net productivity: Net productivity = Gross productivity - Respiratory losses. There are two main factors affecting net productivity: - Efficiency of the crop carrying out photosynthesis: efficiency is improved if all the necessary conditions are supplied and there are no limiting factors. - Area of ground covered by leaves of the crop. In a natural ecosystem...
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...implications of Aristotle's unification of body and soul for human relations with the earth? Are people more likely to respect plants and animals if they are understood to have souls? Aristotle’s belief that humans consisted of the body and soul. The soul, he speculated, was the essence of life and is what made us so advanced compared to other creatures on Earth. The body and soul, together, create the human. In modern times the word “Human” also is used as an adjective. We describe animals who act similar to us as being “strangely human”. This is a good example of how we see ourselves in comparison to nature. Animals and plants are as alive as we are so why do we treat them wrongfully? This must change if we are to reach an...
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