Breaking Down the Animal/Human Divide

Hi Everyone!
This is my first attempt at a blog, as I emerged in the Cretaceous Period. Just kidding. Anyway, I am reading a very interesting book called, The Souls of Animals, by Gary Kowalski. In the foreword by Tom Regan, this issue of the human/animal divide is discussed. Regan says:

What a piece of work we humans are! So unsure are we of our place in the grand scheme
of things; we even enlist our language to mask our cosmic angst. On one side of the semantic
ledger we find the word animal; on the other side human. That humans are animals, it
seems, is a troubling fact we would like to forget. After all, no self-respecting human would
want to be caught "acting like an animal."

I say that in many, many cases, animals would not like to be caught acting like a human. I feel a profound sadness and unease when I think about our treatment of animals. From laboratories to factory farms, a huge portion of our interactions with animals are deplorable. Our class seems outside the norm, not surprisingly, given the content of the class. My big emphasis is how are we going to change the way the majority of humans think about animals? I feel the emotions and
motivations exist (in most humans) to treat animals more kindly. Just look at the Michael Vick case. It seems, though, in our modern society in America, citizens are so overwhelmed by the day to day concerns, the hustle and bustle, the attempt to earn a living, etc., that they forget
what is truly important. Also, the massive obsession with the consolidation of material wealth, at any price. My sincerest wish is that as individuals, and as a class, we can somehow impact the world in a tangible way to improve the life of animals. We will be enriched by this effort.

On another note, I am really enjoying our class discussions. We all seem to be from such
different backgrounds and majors. I know that I will learn a great deal from all of you.