"Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal"
- Charles Darwin
About this Quote
Charles Darwin's quote speaks to the unequal power characteristics in between human beings and animals. He suggests that humans have made animals their servants, and as a result, humans do not wish to think about animals as their equates to. This quote reflects the concept that people tend to see animals as inferior and to reject them the exact same rights and respect that people are afforded. It also speaks with the idea that human beings tend to exploit animals for their own benefit, without considering the effects of their actions. This quote works as a suggestion that animals must be treated with regard and dignity, and that human beings should not benefit from their power over animals. It is a pointer that animals are sentient beings and should be treated as such.
"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it"