Animal Rights
Message Prompt

In 1789, Jeremy Bentham wrote of animals, "The question is not, Can they reason? nor, can they talk? but, can they suffer?" I think this quote means that it does not matter if we can communicate with animals, or if they think like us. Animals obviously have both emotional and physical feelings. You can tell when an animal's spirits are not high, and you can tell when an animal is suffering from pain. Animals can also show love and affection. They can be a person's friend, and they can provide comfort. They can be playful and bring fun into people’s lives. The point is, animals have characteristics of a human. They have characteristics that can make them a part of a family. Therefore, if humans should not be tested on nor treated cruelly, why should animals? There is absolutely no reason animals should suffer from this cruelty, as they are similar to us, and this is what Bentham is trying to get across to the reader.

This quote is so powerful because it really related animals to human beings. Sure, they are different from us. Sure, we may never be able to have a conversation with them. However, animals are just as important as humans. They are just as caring, playful, and emotional. This quote explains that while there are differences, the similarities are much more important. And because of these similarities, it is horribly wrong for animals to suffer cruelty.

Someone who is against animals could also use Bentham’s statement to support his or her reasoning. If someone supported animal testing or killing animals for food, they could use this quote to argue that animals are below humans. Someone against animals could say that the question is not can they reason, because animals do not think the same way humans do. They could also say that the question is not can they talk, because they clearly do not speak to people through a human language. Therefore, if they cannot think like humans, nor communicate with us through words, someone against animals would easily consider animals to be inferior. Therefore, why not test on them? Someone in support of animal cruelty would say it does not matter for animals to suffer because they are not on the same level as humans. However, this quote works best for an animal rights activist, and it should. Animals should have every right humans do, and they should never have to suffer because they are considered inferior.