Ray Zammit (March 24) assumes I am ignorant about anything related to animals. I admit I am no expert on all things related to non-human animals but, to my credit, I am more than willing to learn, which is why I spend much of my free time reading on diverse but related topics such as animal rights, evolutionary biology, philosophy, etc, apart from learning through direct observation.
In this vein, I would be grateful if Mr Zammit explains to me how "hunting" dogs can possibly hunt high-flying birds without the aid of wings or guns, instead of simply saying that I am making a fool of myself.
Regarding his assumption that I implied dogs should all be set free, I would like to put Mr Zammit's mind at rest that the animal rights view is that we should stop breeding, selling or buying any more dogs, while we should continue taking care of the ones already in existence and not to set all dogs free where they cannot cope on their own.
If Mr Zammit is interested in learning more about animal rights and its implications, he is welcome to visit www.animalrightsmalta.blogspot.com, where he will find a list of books. Reading might help him to either change his views or else make informed criticism.
Regarding what would happen if scientists were to "prove" that plants are also sentient (a term which is commonly used both in science and philosophy - hence no need to put it in quotes), even in the unlikely event that scientists were to "prove" that living things that have neither a brain nor a nervous system are miraculously sentient (therefore having an awareness of self to some degree), this would pose no dilemma to vegetarians and vegans because, to eat meat, one would still have to breed non-human animals and feed them on plants. Veganism would still kill fewer plants and/or animals.
Finally, while I humbly thank him for the compliment, I would like to assure Mr Zammit that there is no such thing as an animal rights guru. I am simply as a person who, for completely altruistic reasons, shares with others what I learn through reading and experience, including the scientific knowledge that humans are an animal species and that simply assigning a purpose to someone (be it dogs or humans) does not make that practice necessarily right. One should remember that the "purpose" of human slaves prior to abolition was to serve whites. Still, we all know that human slavery is wrong.
If Mr Zammit (or anyone else) would like any clarification on what I wrote, or would like to ask any questions, he is welcome to contact me through my blog.
Note: The headings to each letter appear as they were published in the newspapers. Some of the headings are the choice of the editor, and not mine. Also, please note that some of my views with respect of my older letters have somewhat changed. Therefore, for an accurate presentation of my current views, one should give more attention to the latest letters.
