David R. Carlin

About the author: David R. Carlin is a professor of philosophy and sociology at the Community College of Rhode Island and a former state senator of Rhode Island.

Animals currently have no legal rights. Animal rights activists, however, believe that only a small biological difference exists between humans and animals. For example, many activists argue that both humans and animals, such as dogs, demonstrate rational thinking. Charles Darwin's theories about evolution have been used to reduce humanity to biological terms only. Specifically, Darwin's followers have deduced that because humans and animals descended from the same ancestors, and because humans strongly resemble nonhuman primates, there is little difference between animals and humans. From a Christian perspective, this reductionist view attacks "an ancient and exalted conception of human nature" in which man is made in...