How fvcking stupid do you have to be...

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

But can you really come up with no rational reason for crimilizing harm to animals? What is the difference between that and harm to humans that's not simply anthropocentric "I want it so" rationalization?

Yes, I can come up with some. But it takes work and, in my opinion, fudging. For me the primary bases on which criminalization emerge have to do with social contracts (implicit and explicit) and violations thereof. Animals do not participate in this contract themselves and I primarily view domesticated animals as property.

But I've worked abound it to some degree to get the result I want rather than necessarily the result that is more appropriate to my starting axioms. But I'm uncomfortable with that.

Yes, you'll be able to say that my fundamental axioms aren't anything other than a form of "I want it so" rationalization and you'd be correct. That is always true; there is no objective morality. I just generally try to resist violating those axioms just because another set of "I want it sos" are more appealing in fringe situations.