Life in Society

Abstract

People tend to assume that their own values are good, right, and even moral. The more we are committed to a value, the more its arbitrariness recedes from sight and the more that we assume its “rightness.” An excellent example is attitudes toward animals. In tribal and agricultural societies, people view animals instrumentally; that is, they think of animals as instruments to help them. A cow is to give milk, plow fields, and be eaten. A deer is to be hunted. A horse is for riding or to pull a plow or wagon. A dog is to pull a sleigh, to retrieve game, or to protect the home. The assumption—considered good, right, and moral—is that animals should be put into the service of humans