Insects not "lower animals"?

[Anne Kilmer]

Pavulaan at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Stop me if I am wrong, but somehow I always believed man was superior to all
> lower animals (all animals but man). 

Well, yes, I think you're wrong. The point isn't who's better, but which 
organisms do we need, and will they function better if we simplify our 
environment until it reaches the point where we can understand it.
We are not the only organism which supposes itself in charge. Go to the 
ant ... 
There are three species battling it out in my garden and house. The fire 
ant is definitely losing. A pleasant black ant with a sweet tooth, who 
does not bite people, is jockeying for position with a minute red ant 
with a fearsome sting. 
How do you choose one sort of ant at the expense of the others? Our 
system so far has been to kill them all and let God sort it out.
Now, I've set a saucer of boric acid bait next to my bed, where I can 
make sure that only the red ants are poisoned. 

> 
> Perhaps lower life forms need not evolve any "higher", or cannot evolve into
> niches already occupied!  If they could, what would that do to the food
> chain?  But where does this arguement stop?  If insects were equally evolved
> as man, then what about protozoans, viruses?  If we follow this course, we
> will soon be seeing a protozoan-rights movement!

This is an enormous, complex organism, this planet we live on. Most of 
the people on this list are actively employed in studying the Blue Lady, 
and are rather frightened by the changes we have seen in our lifetimes. 
These changes were largely effected by people who thought of man as in 
some way superior. 
Perhaps we have a right to change the planet to suit the race of man, 
but let us at least try to find out what we need before we start dumping 
organisms overboard. 
> 
> Sorry to say, the notion that lower life forms are equal to humans is
> fundamentally dangerous to the advancement of mankind.  This is the notion
> that drives the far-left, hard-core animal rights movement.  This does not
> mean we have to eliminate lower life forms, sure we can and should leave room
> for them.  But to equate man with insects....
> Well, insects certainly haul their weight, when it comes to the world's 
work.
And, watching the ants I spot on the kitchen counter, I can attest that 
they certainly do not want to die. The enthusiastic efforts of a 
grasshopper to escape from your hand indicates that some negative vibe 
is being experienced. (Heck, they used to claim that little boys didn't 
mind being circumcised. They sure seem to mind it.)
> I must be missing something.Yup. Monarch of all you survey? Likely you are so full of 
hemoflagellates, friendly bacteria etc. that if you vanished a 
Harry-shaped mass would still stand there. We are all walking 
associations of "lower" forms. I think we need to consider them.
 
Anne Kilmer
South Florida