Animal Slavery

[sven]

I once ended up at a seminar about animal ethics, partly by chance. In the end one of the panelists expressed the view that we have the right to exploit animals, because we have assumed the right to do this. (Well, that was the gist of it. He had more explanations, but I won't tire you with them here)

But, would he say that one group of humans has the right to exploit another group of humans, because it has assumed the right to do so? That would be advocating slavery.

That depends on what you mean by right. Before the slaves were emancipated in the USA, I believe slave holders had a legal right to own people as property. Do I believe that this was good from my etichal viewpont?
No, not at all. I am a secular humanist, so I believe that we as human beings have to decide together what is acceptable human behavior. What I am trying to say is that humanity treats animals the way it does because it is able to. The opposition isn't strong enough to prevent it, and the animals obviously lack the ability. Those who are for animal rights must face a fait accompli type of situation that has been in place since human history began -- long before that, even.
Having a right and being right isn't always the same thing.