Human Beings: Species or Special? A critique of Peter Singer on animals.

This paper explores a Christian attitude to the animal creation by dialoguing with the views of Peter Singer, a well-known animal ethicist. It argues that a helpful way forward is to trace what the Bible says about animals using a biblical theology framework. The Bible consistently values animals as part of creation and views humans as both like and unlike the animals. In the end, it talks about human responsibility to care for all parts of the creation, but insists that there is something distinctive about humans. Humans cannot be regarded as simply another group of animals. Singer's views do contribute to the debate by reminding us of the interests of the animal world, but his overriding of the moral significance of humans as a species leads to some unfortunate consequences. While Christians need to review their understanding of the animal creation, Singer's proposals do not provide the best way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]