Test my belief system

[robvalue]

Yes, that is a direct result of my sliding scale, which I completely admit to. In this case, I am explicitly placing the wellbeing of my dog above the lives of fleas. I have to decide one way or the other, harm will happen either way. It's not a decision I'm at all happy about making. It's not a hard science, I'm estimating and doing my best. If there was a way to accomplish the same goal without hurting anything, I would do it. I will admit there is a selfish element here: I feel particularly responsible for my dog, and I would feel awful if I knowingly allowed her to suffer.

I am interested in learning more about how other life forms feel, yes. I can't say I've spent a lot of time researching it when it comes to lower forms of life (insects and smaller). Perhaps I should. But realistically, I have to draw the line somewhere and "not worry" about the effects of life below that line. It sounds callous to say that, but compromises have to be made. I have only a limited amount of time to make each decision and I literally can't weigh up the eventual effects to everything. That being said, I don't cause any needless harm to anything, so I do still care about things below that line and I carry out anything I need to do in the most humane way I can.

I'm not claiming to be perfect, morality is hugely complex. I'm doing my best, and as you point out, I don't have all the information. It's probably impossible to have all the information. I probably fail at times, or do things which I could objectively say are hypocritical; I think that's true of everyone. But it's my ideal, and I strive to improve my morality always. I can't have a belief that "I'm perfect and will always achieve maximum morality" because I'm not, and I won't.