Animals and Non-Human Life

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Keywords

fsc2026

Abstract

In this facilitation, we will talk about both animals and other forms of life that are not human.  Animals: We often view animals much differently than we actually treat animals. Many people view different animals as being “cute” and worthy of being protected; however, they still choose to eat meat, which often causes pain and suffering for animals. Many of the ways we treat non-human animals are things we would never consider doing to humans. Speciesism is the idea that humans treat other humans more ethically than we treat non-human animals. Peter Singer, who coined the term, believes that if we are not willing to do something to another human, then we should not be willing to do it to an animal. Others argue that it is normal for humans to harm other animals, since there is competition for animals to be successful.  However, animals that are not a part of this species would not want this kind of treatment.    Plants: The reading for today describes a group of pines that had begun growing pre-colonization. The Oneida and Mohawk left the trees alone, and by the time that colonizers arrived, they were too large to be processed, so they were still left alone. These trees lived through many historic events and competed with other trees to survive. Eventually, the largest tree in the grove died when another tree fell on it. When it died, it was left to rot on the forest floor, providing important resources for insects, fungi, and new plants to grow where it used to be.

Comments

Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.

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