There is much positive comment re David Attenborough’s 100 birthday, and quite rightly so. There is no doubt that over the past 100 years there has been a great social change in attitudes towards animal welfare, although there remains a long way to go particularly re factory farming, mostly pigs and chickens, and agribusiness in general. Although this government has passed legislation related to animal welfare it is cautious, encouraging good practice but carrot rather than stick. There has not been a post-war government that has really challenged the farming lobby, and that was also true in the European Parliament. However the fact that landowners are custodians of land and its wildlife rather than out and out please yourself owners is now mainstream.
By coincidence I heard a religious broadcast on Radio 4 this morning while having breakfast; its theme was much along the lines of Man as God’s special creation has a duty of care towards the natural world rather than we’re God’s children so we can do as we please. It seemed to me that here was a point where atheism and Christianity came very close. Atheism asserting that all lifeforms on Earth are a product of evolution, and will continue to be so. For the last three millennia or so homo sapiens (homo erectus if we go back further) has been able to attain domination around the planet through his unique physical and mental capabilities. It is this very dominance that is the danger. less than a century ago a weapon was invented the descendants of which sit waiting on delivery systems and capable of destroying life on Earth. Now AI, which could be beneficial but which could make human thought unnecessary.
So the main objective should be to make sure the dominant animal uses its power and knowledge to preserve life on Earth for its intrinsic value, not for personal gain. We are not entitled to sit back and say we are made in God’s image so all will be well. It will not, its a myth.