uilty of speciesism and have been inhumane and evil to creatures that are powerless. He contends that any change requires a change in our heads and hearts. It would seem that Regan wrote this essay because he feels there has been a blatant cruelty and disregard for animals. He does not mention however, that all species use each other as resourcesthat is the way of nature. He seems to be denying or ignoring that natural phenomenon. Everything and everyone is a resource in one way or another. Humans and animals are hosts for many insects, parasites and microscopic organisms, which are part of natures food chain.As founder of the Animal Rights Liberation, utilitarian Peter Singer agrees with Regans opinion that we are guilty of speciesism. He defines speciesism as a prejudice or attitude of bias toward the interests of members of ones own species. He informs the reader that he owes this term to Richard Ryder. In his essay All Animals are Equal, Singer laments the fact that the majority of humans take an active part in, or allow their taxes to pay for the sacrificing species in order to promote their self-interests. To believe that only human life is sacrosanct is wrong, in his view, and another example of speciesism. He believes we must allow beings, human or animal, which are similar in all relevant aspects, to have a similar right to live. A membership in our own species cannot be a morally relevant position.Singer does modify his position by stating that all lives are not of equal worth. The life of a self-aware human being, capable of complex acts of communication, is more valuable than a being without these qualities. However, he concludes that if a decision has to be made to save a human life over that of an animal, the choice should be made on the characteristics of that being, not on the basis of species.James Rachels sees a major problem in the way we eat and what we do with food, as well as the suffering of ani...
