But they do need the right to be respected. I think they re living beings just like us, and so they should be understood as much as we possibly can understand them. We shouldn t inflict needless pain on them, and we should curb some of our habits that cause them a lot of suffering. Peta, your organisation, people for the ethical treatment of animals, opposes what it calls speciesism and a, quote, human supremacist worldview. Can you sort of explain what that actually means? well, i think we have to get over ourselves as a species, as a human species. We ve sort of set ourselves up as gods, and we regard anyone that doesn t fit into the human species as sort of trash. I mean, as you said earlier, we might pet them, we might skin them. We decide. And yet animals are not like us, they are us. If we took elementary biology, we learned that we are one animal among many. It s a great, if you will, somebody said an orchestra of life, we each play a different instrument. That s rather romantic
Welcome to hardtalk. Thanks very much, stephen. Its a great pleasure to have you in the studio. Let me start by trying to establish a core principle. Is it your belief that animals should enjoy equal rights, the same rights as humans . Well, not the same rights, because, of course, they dont need the right to do some of the things we wish to do, like drive a car or vote, although they might do better than weve done sometimes. But they do need the right to be respected. I think theyre living beings just like us, and so they should be understood as much as we possibly can understand them. We shouldnt inflict needless pain on them, and we should curb some of our habits that cause them a lot of suffering. Peta, your organisation, people for the ethical treatment of animals, opposes what it calls speciesism and a, quote, human supremacist worldview. Can you sort of explain what that actually means . Well, i think we have to get over ourselves as a species, as a Human Species. Weve sort of s
Welcome to hardtalk. Im stephen sackur. We humans have a complicated relationship with animals. Some we pet, some we skin, some we eat. We destroy their wild habitats while we agonise about the loss of species diversity. It is not an equal relationship, its exploitative, but will it ever change . And if so, how . My guest is determined that it should. Ingrid newkirk is president and Co Founder of the Campaign Group people for the ethical treatment of animals. Is she the Human Ally Animals need . Ingrid newkirk, welcome to hardtalk. Ingrid newkirk, welcome to hardtalk. Thanks very much, stephen. Thanks very much, stephen. Its a great pleasure its a great pleasure to have you in the studio. To have you in the studio. Let me start by trying let me start by trying to establish a core principle. To establish a core principle. Is it your belief that animals is it your belief that animals should enjoy equal rights, should enjoy equal rights, the same rights as humans . The same rights as huma
recognition that your call, your demand for a new relationship between humanitarian maker for humanity and all the other creatures on this planet, but the call failed? ~ ., ., failed? well, it failed to achieve failed? well, it failed to achieve what failed? well, it failed to achieve what i failed? well, it failed to achieve what i had - failed? well, it failed to l achieve what i had hoped failed? well, it failed to i achieve what i had hoped it would achieve and what i believe ethically it needs to achieve, that s true. it did not totally fail because there is now an animal rights movement which is a powerful force in many of the countries in the world and many people currently credit my book as having triggered or inspired that movement. and that movement has had some achievements in some countries. i would not deny that. but if we look at it globally, there are more animals in factory farms than there were ever before and there are more animals suffering from human
peter singer, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. it s good to be with you again. it s great to be here and have you here with me, and partly the reason is because you ve written an updated, rewritten version of that book you almost five decades ago, animal liberation. it s called animal liberation now. is the publication of this update recognition that your call, your demand for a new relationship between humanity and all the other creatures on this planet, that that call failed? well, it failed to achieve what i had hoped it would achieve and what i believe ethically it needs to achieve, that s true. it didn t totally fail because there is now an animal rights movement which is a powerfulforce in many of the countries in the world and many people kindly credit my book as having triggered or inspired that movement. and that movement has had some achievements in some countries, i wouldn t deny that, but if we look at it globally, there are more animals in factory farms t