Humanity Even for Nonhumans

John Maynard Keynes wrote that ideas, “both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” This idea popularized by Professor Peter Singer — that we have ethical obligations that transcend our species — is one whose time appears to have come. In recent years, the issue has entered the mainstream, but even for those who accept that we should try to reduce the suffering of animals, the question remains where to draw lines. However we may answer these questions, there is one profound difference from past centuries: animal rights are now firmly on the mainstream ethical agenda. Nicholas Kristof, NY Times